View source for GE Aviation Systems Limited (formerly Smiths Aerospace Limited)

'''GE Aviation Systems Limited (formerly Smiths Aerospace Limited)''' is a company on the UK [[Companies House]] register in the defence, security, surveillance or dual-use technology sector with documented business ties to Israel. This profile is part of [[UK companies linked to 'Israel']]; see [[UK companies linked to 'Israel': Methodology]] for how companies were selected and scored.

==Profile==
{{Infobox company
| name = GE Aviation Systems Limited (formerly Smiths Aerospace Limited)
| trade_name = 
| logo = 
| type = Private limited Company
| founded = 3 January 1963
| founder = 
| defunct = 
| hq_location = Cheltenham Road, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 8SF
| industry = 26110 - Manufacture of electronic components, 84110 - General public administration activities, 84220 - Defence activities, 96090 - Other service activities not elsewhere classified
| services = 
| parent = GE Infrastructure Aviation
| subsidiaries = 
| revenue = 
| num_employees = 
| homepage = 
}}

* '''Category:''' S (supplier of arms/components to Israel (UK export licences) or to the F-35 programme Israel takes part in)
* '''Company number:''' 00745917<ref name="CH00745917" />
* '''Status:''' Active
* '''Type:''' Private limited Company
* '''SIC:''' 26110 - Manufacture of electronic components, 84110 - General public administration activities, 84220 - Defence activities, 96090 - Other service activities not elsewhere classified
* '''Registered office:''' Cheltenham Road, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 8SF
* '''Previous names:''' Smiths Aerospace Limited (15 Jun 2001 – 29 Oct 2007); Smiths Industries Aerospace & Defence Systems Limited (18 Nov 1983 – 15 Jun 2001); Specto Avionics Limited (03 Jan 1963 – 18 Nov 1983)
* '''Listing / market cap:''' Not listed. Ultimate parent [[General Electric|GE Aerospace]] (NYSE: GE) ≈ US$319bn.<ref name="CMCm">{{cite web |url=https://companiesmarketcap.com/general-electric/marketcap/ |title=General Electric (GE) - Market capitalization |website=CompaniesMarketCap |access-date=2026-10-14}}</ref>

'''Israel connection:'''
* F-35 subcontract data.<ref name="CAAT2025Table4">{{cite web |url=https://caat.org.uk/app/uploads/2025/09/CAAT-Israel-update-August-2025-v4.pdf |title=How the UK arms and supports Israel's genocide in Gaza |at=table 4 |website=Campaign Against Arms Trade |date=September 2025 |access-date=2026-10-14}}</ref> Whether the 'Smiths Aerospace Group' total relates to this entity (its former name) is not certain. The F-35 OGEL covers exports to the '''global''' F-35 programme. [[Campaign Against Arms Trade|CAAT]] notes that it is unclear which UK sites make which parts for which F-35 customers. Since Sept 2024 the OGEL cannot be used to ship directly to Israel, but parts can still reach Israeli jets via the US or the global spares pool.<ref name="CAAT2024" /><ref name="CAATb" />

'''Persons with significant control (CH):'''<ref name="CH00745917" />
* [[GE Infrastructure Aviation]] (active) — address: Cheltenham Road, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, GL52 8SF Notified on 6 April 2016 Governing law United Kingdom (England And Wales) Legal form Unlimited With Shares Place registered Companies House Registration number 6378241 Incorporated in England And Wales Nature of control Ownership of shares – 75% or more Ownership of voting rights - 75% or more Right to appoint or remove directors
* Statement: The company has not yet completed taking reasonable steps to find out if there is anyone who is a registrable person or a registrable relevant legal entity in relation to the company

'''Directors (CH; 44 director appointments, 5 current; † = Israel correspondence address, 0 appointments):'''<ref name="CH00745917" />

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ Directors (month/year as shown by Companies House; † = Israel correspondence address, an address fact only)
! Name !! Born (month/year) !! Service !! †
|-
| [[Garima Basu]] || August 1969 || Jan 2025–present || 
|-
| [[Gaizka Bilbao Laredo]] || June 1977 || Sep 2023–present || 
|-
| [[Jonathan Andrew Chestney]] || March 1968 || Sep 2023–present || 
|-
| [[Henry Frank Johnston]] || April 1979 || Jul 2020–present || 
|-
| [[Liam Martin Slate]] || September 1980 || May 2026–present || 
|-
| [[Ronald Charles Albrecht]] || April 1945 || Sep 1998–Jun 2006 || 
|-
| [[Alasdair John Anderson]] || September 1964 || Sep 2023–Sep 2024 || 
|-
| [[Norman Victor Barber]] || June 1939 || pre-Dec 1992–Jul 2000 || 
|-
| [[Anthony Lionel Blackman]] || April 1928 || pre-Dec 1992–Dec 1992 || 
|-
| [[Thomas William Bradley]] || June 1976 || Mar 2015–Jan 2017 || 
|-
| [[Philip Carroll]] || July 1959 || May 2007–Jul 2010 || 
|-
| [[Philip Howard Collins]] || October 1941 || Sep 1998–Oct 2001 || 
|-
| [[Ian Edward Donovan]] || March 1940 || Sep 1998–Jul 2000 || 
|-
| [[Ian Edward Donovan]] || March 1940 || pre-Dec 1992–Sep 1998 || 
|-
| [[John Ferrie|Dr John Ferrie]] || January 1947 || Sep 2000–Dec 2008 || 
|-
| [[Toby Duncan Ford]] || January 1971 || Apr 2011–Sep 2015 || 
|-
| [[John Haigh]] || October 1968 || Jan 2020–Mar 2026 || 
|-
| [[Nigel Howard Hughes]] || August 1937 || pre-Dec 1992–Aug 1997 || 
|-
| [[Derek Ian Jackson]] || July 1934 || pre-Dec 1992–Aug 1994 || 
|-
| [[Alan Jones]] || September 1970 || Jun 2012–Jun 2014 || 
|-
| [[Martin Hartley Jones|Dr Martin Hartley Jones]] || August 1942 || May 2000–Dec 2002 || 
|-
| [[Martin Hartley Jones|Dr Martin Hartley Jones]] || August 1942 || pre-Dec 1992–Feb 1995 || 
|-
| [[Michael David Jones]] || January 1945 || Sep 1998–May 2007 || 
|-
| [[Brian Roy William Knight]] || November 1954 || Mar 2003–Dec 2007 || 
|-
| [[Michael William Patrick Knight|Sir Michael William Patrick Knight]] || November 1932 || Jan 1993–Feb 1995 || 
|-
| [[Paul Danton Laity]] || November 1959 || Jun 2014–Jan 2021 || 
|-
| [[John Malcolm Legg]] || May 1942 || Feb 1995–Oct 2002 || 
|-
| [[Simon Linacre]] || September 1959 || Apr 2011–Dec 2016 || 
|-
| [[Euan Kenneth Mackintosh]] || July 1936 || pre-Dec 1992–Sep 1998 || 
|-
| [[Ian Paul Lewis Newton]] || May 1929 || pre-Dec 1992–Aug 1994 || 
|-
| [[Michelle Nicola Ryan]] || August 1987 || Jan 2025–Jul 2026 || 
|-
| [[Bradley Josef Seemayer]] || October 1981 || Jun 2018–Jan 2025 || 
|-
| [[Daniel Todd Shelley]] || June 1970 || Jan 2020–Jul 2024 || 
|-
| [[David Sheppard]] || July 1955 || Feb 1995–May 2000 || 
|-
| [[Liam Martin Slate]] || September 1980 || Sep 2015–Jan 2025 || 
|-
| [[Donald Maurice Spiers|Sir Donald Maurice Spiers]] || January 1934 || Aug 1995–Jul 1998 || 
|-
| [[Anthony Roy Stevenson]] || April 1943 || pre-Dec 1992–Oct 1996 || 
|-
| [[Benjamin Sutton]] || May 1968 || Apr 2010–Dec 2012 || 
|-
| [[Stephen Joseph Taylor]] || January 1963 || Sep 2008–Oct 2010 || 
|-
| [[Graham Kenneth Thornton|Dr Graham Kenneth Thornton]] || March 1948 || pre-Dec 1992–Dec 1999 || 
|-
| [[Peter Richard Tongue]] || August 1944 || Sep 1998–Dec 2002 || 
|-
| [[Oliver Towers]] || February 1956 || Sep 2008–Jul 2020 || 
|-
| [[Mark Trowbridge]] || October 1969 || Jan 2025–Nov 2025 || 
|-
| [[Nicholas John Wilton]] || January 1954 || Feb 1995–May 2001 || 
|}

'''Current secretary:''' [[Alex Thatcher]]; [[Oakwood Corporate Secretary Limited]]<ref name="CH00745917" />

'''Latest accounts (income/expenditure):''' FY to 31 Dec 2025 (filed 13 Aug 2026; OCR; reported in '''US$'''): turnover US$704.8m (2024: US$625.3m); profit for year US$43.1m (2024: US$13.3m).<ref name="CH00745917FH">{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00745917/filing-history |title=GE Aviation Systems Limited filing history |id=Company number 00745917 |website=Find and update company information |publisher=Companies House |access-date=2026-10-14}} Formerly Smiths Aerospace Limited.</ref>

'''Arms trade involvement:''' Yes. Defence aerospace systems.

'''Supply to the IDF / Israel MOD / Israeli security services:''' Via the F-35 programme only.

'''Activities in the occupied territories:''' None documented.

'''Links to the Israeli government:''' Indirect.

'''WZO / JNF / Jewish Agency / Keren Hayesod:''' None found. Searches covered the [[World Zionist Organization|WZO]], [[Jewish National Fund|JNF/KKL]], [[Jewish Agency for Israel|Jewish Agency]] and [[Keren Hayesod]].

'''Controversies (protests, legal cases, export-licence rulings):'''
* [[Al-Haq]]/GLAN's judicial review of the F-35 carve-out was dismissed by the High Court on 30 Jun 2025.<ref name="Judiciary" /> The Court of Appeal refused permission to appeal on 12 Nov 2025.<ref name="Judiciary2025" /> The case was against the government; no company was a party.

==See also==
*[[UK companies linked to 'Israel']]
*[[UK Companies with Address or Ownership Links to Israel - Alphabetical]]
*[[UK Companies with Address or Ownership Links to Israel - Ranked by density of connection]]
*[[UK Companies with documented links to business activity in the Occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Golan]]
*[[UK defence, security, surveillance and dual-use technology companies with documented business ties to 'Israel']]
*[[UK companies linked to 'Israel': Methodology]]

==Notes==
<references>
<ref name="CAAT2024">{{cite web |url=https://caat.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/10/F35-companies-list.pdf |title=F-35 companies list |website=Campaign Against Arms Trade |access-date=2026-10-14}}</ref>
<ref name="CAATb">{{cite web |url=https://caat.org.uk/data/countries/israel/mapped-all-the-uk-companies-manufacturing-components-for-israels-f35-combat-aircraft/who-arms-israel-map-faq/ |title=Who arms Israel map – FAQ |website=Campaign Against Arms Trade |access-date=2026-10-14}}</ref>
<ref name="CH00745917">{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00745917 |title=GE Aviation Systems Limited overview |id=Company number 00745917 |website=Find and update company information |publisher=Companies House |access-date=2026-10-14}} Formerly Smiths Aerospace Limited.</ref>
<ref name="Judiciary">{{cite web |url=https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/al-haq-v-secretary-of-state-for-business-and-trade-3/ |title=Al-Haq -v- Secretary of State for Business and Trade |website=Courts and Tribunals Judiciary |date=12 November 2025 |access-date=2026-10-14}}</ref>
<ref name="Judiciary2025">{{cite web |url=https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Al-Haq-v-SSBT-Approved-judgment-PDF-format.pdf |title=Al-Haq v SSBT: approved judgment |id=&#91;2025&#93; EWCA Civ 1433 |website=Courts and Tribunals Judiciary |date=12 November 2025 |access-date=2026-10-14}}</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Organisations with links to Israel]]
[[Category:Arms Industry]]
[[Category:Security Industry]]
[[Category:Defence]]
[[Category:Transnational Corporations]]