"Keep It under Wraps": The Arms Deals of the Austrian State Industry and the Noricum Scandal

Abstract

Abstract:The so-called Noricum scandal deeply unsettled the political system of the Austrian Second Republic between 1985 and 1993. So far, this case has not been the subject of historical research with the exception of journalistic or political science accounts. The affair was caused by illegal arms deals with Iran and Iraq, at a time when these countries were fighting against one another in the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88). The arms shipments were conducted by the Noricum Maschinenbau und Handel Gesellschaft m.b.H, a subsidiary firm of the Vereinigte Österreichische Eisen- und Stahlwerke-Alpine Montan AG (VOEST-Alpine AG), the heavyweight of Austrian nationalized industries. The sales encompassed 353 long-range howitzers (GHN-45), ammunition, and supplies. The deals constituted a clear violation of Austrian arms export laws, which forbade the sale of arms to belligerent states. After the affair gradually became public, political and criminal responsibility was clarified during several trials. This contribution explores the subject in regard to the overall context of postindustrial change in the 1970s and 1980s. The Noricum affair is interpreted as a continuation of problematic Austrian arms exports to Latin America and the Middle East. Furthermore, the circumstances of Austrian neutrality and the arms exports laws are highlighted, as well as the political-judicial consequences.