Instalaza facts for kids
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| S.A. | |
| Industry | Defence |
| Founded | 1943 |
| Headquarters | , |
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Area served
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worldwide |
| Products | Explosives, Electro-optical devices |
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Operating income
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12.4 million € (2011) |
 1.68 million € (2011) |
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Number of employees
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140 (2007) |
Instalaza SA is a Spanish company that designs and makes special equipment for soldiers. This includes things like explosives and advanced optical devices. The company started in 1943. Its main office and factory are located in Zaragoza, a city in the Aragon region of Spain.
Instalaza is well-known for supplying military gear. They provide equipment to the Spanish armed forces and to many other countries around the world. A former Spanish Minister of Defence, Pedro Morenés Eulate, used to work as a consultant for Instalaza.
In 2007, Instalaza SA had 140 employees. Their factory covered a large area of 18,000 square meters.
Contents
Rules About Cluster Munitions
In 2008, Instalaza faced a challenge because of a new rule. This rule was part of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which banned certain types of weapons called cluster bombs.
What is a Cluster Munition?
A cluster munition is a weapon that opens in the air and releases many smaller bombs over a wide area. These smaller bombs are called submunitions. The problem with some older cluster munitions was that not all the small bombs would explode. These unexploded bombs could be dangerous for civilians, even long after a conflict ended.
Instalaza's MAT-120 Weapon
Instalaza used to make a weapon called the MAT-120, which was a type of cluster bomb. Even after the ban, the MAT-120 was still shown in their online catalog in 2009. The Spanish government told Instalaza to stop making this weapon to follow international law.
After public concern, Instalaza stopped making the MAT-120. However, they kept it in their catalog to show their engineering skills. They stated that their MAT-120 was designed to be safer. If a submunition didn't explode when it hit the ground, it would try to self-destruct in 20 seconds. If that failed, it would become inactive after 10 minutes. This meant it would no longer be dangerous.
Some people argued that even with these safety features, unexploded bombs could still be a risk. But Instalaza explained that their MAT-120 submunitions would become completely harmless if they didn't explode. This is because their electrical charge would drain away after about 15 minutes, making the fuse system stop working.
After this event, Instalaza changed its focus. The company started making new types of military technology. Because of this, Instalaza SA continues to produce military equipment for many countries worldwide.
Showing New Products
In February 2013, Instalaza showed its new weapons and ammunition designs at a defense show in Abu Dhabi. Buyers liked their products a lot. This showed that the defense industry was growing well for Spanish exports. They showed their products again at the same Abu Dhabi Defense Hall in 2021. This time, they presented new optical devices, thermal cameras, and even prototypes of short-range missiles. They had great success selling these new items.
Letter Bomb Incident in 2022
On November 30, 2022, Instalaza's headquarters in Zaragoza received a suspicious package. It was a letter bomb. Just hours before, an officer at Ukraine's embassy in Madrid was hurt by a similar letter bomb.
Because of the incident at the embassy, Instalaza was careful. They called the police when they saw the suspicious envelope. The envelope was small, about 10 by 15 centimeters. An X-ray showed it contained an explosive charge with a wire, ready to go off when opened.
The police safely exploded the package at the factory. No one was hurt, and there was no damage. A government official said that both the package sent to Instalaza and the one sent to the embassy seemed to come from the same sender. They both had the same email address written on the back.
Products Made by Instalaza
Instalaza makes a variety of military products, including:
- Alcotán-100 (a type of anti-tank weapon)
- C90-CR (M3) (another anti-tank weapon)
- C100 (similar to the Alcotán-100)
- Alhambra hand grenade
- VN-series night vision scopes (for rifles and rocket launchers)
- MAT-120 cargo mortar (no longer produced)
- FTV Rifle Grenade
See also
In Spanish: Instalaza para niños
