US probes Spanish firm Indra over alleged transfer of Pentagon tech to China

US officials at the Department of Commerce are examining whether Spain’s Indra, a partly state-owned defence contractor, facilitated the export of American military software to China. The inquiry stems from complaints that Indra provided Chinese firms with detailed product records, which were later marketed as indigenous Chinese technology. Email evidence shows a businessman discovering that Indra sold a weather-prediction programme—originally designed for military and air-safety operations—at a reduced price to a Chinese partner without informing him, prompting him to end an exclusivity deal.

Additional messages raise concerns about Indra’s work on election-related technology and alleged attempts to use contacts in Puerto Rico to access US exporters. Lawyers note that, if proven, the conduct could violate the Economic Espionage Act and constitute economic espionage. Indra, in which the Spanish state-owned SEPI holds about 28 % of shares, has recently been highlighted as a key EU defence player and a founding member of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance. Neither Indra nor the Spanish government has responded to the investigation.