What Airwars does

Airwars is a non-profit civilian harm watchdog founded in 2014 and registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee (with a Dutch subsidiary, Airwars Stichting, in Utrecht). The organization documents civilian harm from military actions across 19 conflicts, maintaining a public archive of 79,546 civilian deaths across 12,598 incidents with 221,379 evidence items preserved. Its primary product is a five-step casualty recording methodology combining local-language media monitoring, evidence preservation, human-centered narration, geolocation, and advocacy, delivered through a portfolio of free tools: the Civilian Harm Incident Archive, Open Source Munitions Portal (with ARES), Civilian Protection Monitor, Palestinian MoH Victim List, and an AI Kill Chain investigation site.

The platform serves journalists and media organizations (Guardian, Independent, Intercept, FT, NYT, AP, VICE, BBC), human rights organizations, the United Nations, governments and militaries (US, UK, Netherlands), and policy researchers. Airwars is funded primarily through philanthropic grants from foundations including Open Society Foundations and the Swedish Postcode Lottery, and reports no commercial pricing as services are provided freely to promote transparency. The business model is fundamentally that of a mission-driven grant-funded research and advocacy organization, with outputs (investigations, policy reports, tribunal evidence) monetized only indirectly through media reach, funder credibility, and policy influence rather than user fees.

Strategically, Airwars has positioned itself as the de facto independent arbiter of civilian harm in armed conflict, having influenced US military admissions (over 1,000 civilian deaths attributed primarily to Airwars referrals), compelled a UK tribunal ruling against the Ministry of Defence, and driven the Dutch MoD to conduct an unprecedented civilian harm assessment.

Name

Airwars

Legal name

Airwars

Website

https://airwars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Airwars is a non-profit civilian harm watchdog founded in 2014 that documents military-caused civilian casualties across 19 conflicts using open-source investigation, serving journalists, governments, the UN, and human rights organizations with free tools and a public archive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civilian Harm Documentation and Conflict Transparency

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Civilian Protection & Stabilization Operations (BPADAFAF)

Keywords

• Civilian harm documentation
• Casualty recording
• Open source investigation
• Conflict transparency
• Civilian protection monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: Airwars operates as a not-for-profit organization funded through grants from foundations, donations from individuals, and institutional funding from philanthropic organizations committed to transparency and civilian protection.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Airwars is a not-for-profit civilian harm watchdog that monitors, documents, and investigates civilian casualties from armed conflicts using open source investigation methodology. Its core offering is a searchable public archive documenting 79,546 civilian deaths across 12,598 incidents in 19 conflicts, with each incident geolocated, attributed to specific military actors, and accompanied by victim stories and evidence links. Supporting this core database are specialized tools for munitions identification, policy compliance monitoring, and Gaza-specific victim tracking.

Product overview

Airwars is a not-for-profit civilian harm monitoring and documentation organization that operates a suite of transparency tools and research platforms. Its core offering is the Civilian Harm Incident Archive, which documents civilian casualties from conflicts globally. Supporting this core database are specialized tools including the Open Source Munitions Portal (for munitions identification), the Civilian Protection Monitor (for policy analysis), and the Palestinian MoH Victim List (for Gaza-specific victim tracking). The organization conducts investigations, produces policy research, and provides documentation services using open-source research methodologies. The portfolio operates primarily as a documentation and advocacy platform rather than a commercial software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open Source Munitions Portal (OSMP): A tool for researchers, journalists and practitioners trying to learn more about munitions and their use and impact in conflicts.
• Civilian Protection Monitor

Products and services

• Civilian Harm Incident Archive A searchable public database documenting 79,546 civilian deaths across 12,598 incidents in 19 conflicts. Each incident is geolocated, attributed to specific military actors, and includes victim stories, evidence sources, and detailed incident reports. Free public access for researchers, journalists, policy makers, and the general public.
• Open Source Munitions Portal A munitions identification and documentation tool for researchers, journalists and practitioners to learn about munitions and their use and impact in conflicts. Developed in collaboration with ARES. Tracks and identifies munition remnants from conflict zones, with capabilities including attribution of Tomahawk missiles in the Iran War.
• Civilian Protection Monitor A framework for monitoring state policy and practice on the protection of civilians from their own military actions. Tracks how countries perform on civilian harm mitigation and provides analysis of military policies and practices across major powers.
• Palestinian MoH Victim List A searchable list of all named victims in Gaza since October 2023, as published by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, and republished by Airwars. Provides granular victim-level data for researchers, journalists, and accountability organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 civilian deaths admitted by the United States, primarily based on Airwars referrals
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Open Source Munitions Portal (OSMP) / AREScoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with ARES to maintain the Open Source Munitions Portal, a tool for researchers and journalists to identify and track munitions used in conflicts. The portal documents munition remnants and has been pivotal in attributing strikes (e.g., identifying Tomahawk missiles in the Iran War).
• Civilian Protection MonitorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirwars-developed policy monitoring framework that tracks state compliance with civilian protection commitments. Provides analysis of military policies and practices across major powers.
• The GuardianflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing media partnership for joint investigations including UK civilian harm in Syria/Iraq, Gaza coverage, and Danish military Libya investigation.
• The IndependentflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership on AI-assisted strike investigation revealing first officially accepted civilian death in AI-assisted targeting.
• The InterceptflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on maritime strike investigation using flight tracking data to expose delays in US military search and rescue operations.
• Financial TimesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint investigations including Russian drone supply chains, Gaza evacuation route strike, and UK civilian casualty reporting.
• AI Now InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on AI Kill Chain investigation examining how militaries are offloading life and death decisions to flawed AI technologies.
• Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación PeriodísticaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerLatin American consortium partnership investigating victims of US strikes on alleged drug boats in Caribbean and Pacific.
• Goldsmiths, University of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirwars is affiliated with the Department of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London.
• Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint reporting on civilian harm in Iran during the 2026 war, with HRANA providing detailed victim documentation.
• CIVICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint report on civilian harm in Iran with Civilian Protection Initiative, documenting scale and intensity of US and Israeli strikes.
• Leigh DaycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHuman rights law firm that led Airwars legal team in freedom of information tribunal against UK Ministry of Defence.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bellingcat: Bellingcat is an independent investigative collective of researchers and citizen journalists using open source methodology to investigate conflict, war crimes, and human rights abuses, making it the closest direct peer to Airwars in mission and method.
• CIVIC (Center for Civilians in Conflict): CIVIC works directly on civilian protection in armed conflict, producing reports and policy recommendations that influence military practice, and is a confirmed Airwars collaborator on Iran war civilian harm documentation.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch is a much larger established human rights organization with a long-standing Arms Division that investigates civilian harm from military operations globally, providing overlapping accountability-focused work.
• Amnesty International: Amnesty International is a global incumbent in human rights research and documentation, with extensive work on civilian casualties and conflict that overlaps with Airwars' investigation and advocacy scope.

Emerging players

• Forensic Architecture: Forensic Architecture is a research agency at Goldsmiths, University of London that uses open source spatial and digital investigation to document state violence and human rights abuses, sharing methodological overlap and institutional affiliation with Airwars.
• Insecurity Insight: Insecurity Insight is a specialized nonprofit documenting attacks on healthcare and education in conflict, applying similar open source and incident-archive methodology to a narrower thematic focus.
• Yemen Data Project: Yemen Data Project is an independent research initiative that documents airstrikes and civilian casualties in the Yemen conflict using open source data, comparable to Airwars' conflict-specific incident archives.

Regional players

• Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: SOHR is a long-running UK-based conflict monitor that tracks casualty figures primarily in the Syrian conflict, providing a comparable casualty recording function in a narrower geographic scope.

Others

• ARES (Armament Research Services): ARES is a specialist consultancy providing technical weapons and munitions analysis, partnering with Airwars on the Open Source Munitions Portal and providing comparable munitions documentation expertise.
• New York Times Visual Investigations: The NYT Visual Investigations team uses open source techniques including satellite imagery and geolocation to investigate civilian harm in conflicts, directly collaborating with Airwars and competing for the same investigative storytelling space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airwars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airwars