Brighton and Hove's status as a United Nations Peace Messenger City is being compromised by a factory which makes components for fighter jets, campaigners say.

EdoMBM Technology employs 170 people at its Moulsecoomb manufacturing plant and test facility.

The company makes clips which attach and release bombs on F16s, Hawks and Tornados.

Anti-war protesters have said a demonstration will be held at the gates as part of the Arms Dealers Out of Our City action on March 19.

Much of EdoMBM's work is confidential for security reasons but the managing director David Jones invited The Argus for a tour of the shopfloor.

The huge factory contains expensive precision machinery and is home to some of the finest technical minds in the industry.

Parts for war planes and diagnostics for tanks and launching precision-guided bombs are designed, developed and built here.

The firm has been awarded a contract to make parts for the latest Paveway bomb - the precision weapon used in the Iraq war - and already makes components for the Eurofighter.

The firm hopes to win a contract to build parts for the Joint Strike Fighter.

Staff at the plant also build specialist laptops for the army which are so tough they can survive being crushed under the wheels of a tank.

Specialist motors for heads-up display units, which warn pilots of enemy planes approaching, are also produced.

Mr Jones, 56, said: "We are proud of what we do. We live in a democracy and one of the things we regrettably have to do is defend ourselves.

"Our purpose in life with our defence products is to give equipment to our soldiers to protect themselves and make sure they have the best chance of survival when they are protecting us.

"We have a duty to give our air force, army and navy the best equipment to carry out their duties.

"I don't have a problem with people coming here to protest - it's a democracy. The one thing I would ask is they do not intimidate our staff."

He confirmed equipment built in Brighton was used by British troops in Iraq.

But he allayed fears the bomb release system was supplied for Israeli F16 planes, a major concern for protesters opposed to the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Mr Jones said: "We do not sell directly to Israel and, to the best of our knowledge, our equipment does not end up in Israel but that is not in our control. It does not go on the F16 planes Israel is buying.

"It is vetted by the Government to make sure it does not end up in the wrong hands."

The firm has a new test facility to make sure the mechanism to drop bombs is perfect and help devise new components.

Parts are supplied to major arms firms supplying the Ministry of Defence and to Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Thales.

EdoMBM Technology has a turnover of £16 million a year.

More than 90 per cent of its products remain in the UK with the rest exported to the United States and Europe.

Brighton and Hove is a Peace Messenger City for the United Nations.

The organisation attacked the company for supplying the arms industry.

Brian Fitch is the secretary general for the International Association for Peace Messenger Cities and a Brighton and Hove City councillor.

He said: "I do not agree with investing or supporting factories or firms that make weapons of war. I would rather they were somewhere else."

Asked about the skilled employment provided by EdoMBM Technology in the city, he said: "These are not the sort of jobs I want.

"I think a peace city should promote peace and education and should not be involved in the arms industry.

"There are many areas that are unsupportable that provide jobs.

"The city we have got is one that prides itself on education and tourism and I would prefer jobs related to those areas.

"Businesses can choose where they set up - it's a free country - but we should not be encouraging this kind of industry."

Sussex Action for Peace member Simon Hayward, 23, from Lewes Road, Brighton, has been researching the activities of EdoMBM Technology and called for the protest against the firm.

The student and part-time administrator was angered by the fact equipment used to drop "smart weapons" was being made at the plant.

He said: "The UK arms industry is an industry of death that receives huge subsidies from the Government.

"Exports from the UK are guaranteed so if a despotic regime defaults on payments the taxpayer here will have to foot the bill.

"We are against the arms trade in Brighton, which is supposedly a UN International Peace Messenger City. There is a lot of anger that our concerns are not being addressed.

"Tony Blair is refusing to say sorry and admit there might have been a mistake on his part.

"They have live firing and test-drop facilities at Moulsecoomb - just down the road from Brighton University."

Mr Howard, an activist with Campaign Against the Arms Trade, said the protest would not be violent.

He said: "We're assuming the company knows how to look after itself so we're going for a friendly demo in town and a march up to the site.

"We're hoping for a football match between the peaceniks and the staff."

The Moulsecoomb protest is being held the day before a national demonstration by the Stop the War Coalition in London.

Hundreds of people from Brighton and Hove are expected to travel to the capital.

The march, from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square, will come at the end of a week of campaigning in Brighton and Hove.

Cath Senker, 39, from Sussex Action for Peace, said: "The situation in Iraq is terrible and the conflict is still going on. We think the troops should get out.

"People are very angry about the fact we went to war and are saying we have been duped and we're being governed by a liar."