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U.S., Russian Arms Makers Raise Share of Top 100 Amid Build-Up

U.S., Russian Arms Makers Raise Share of Top 100 Amid Build-Up

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. and Russian arms makers increased their share of sales among the world’s top 100 defense contractors thanks to buoyant domestic demand, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Some highlights from the Sipri report released Monday:

  • Total arms sales among the top 100 companies last year increased 2.5 percent to $398.2 billion, an increase of 44 percent since Sipri began reporting corporate arms sales in 2002. The figures exclude China.
  • The 42 U.S. companies on the top 100 list grew sales by 2 percent to $226.6 billion, accounting for 57 percent of the total.
  • Sales by Russian companies listed in the top 100 overtook U.K. companies for the first time since 2002, accounting for 9.5 percent of the total. Their sales increased 8.5 percent to $37.7 billion. “This is in line with Russia’s increased spending on arms procurement to modernize its armed forces,” said Siemon Wezeman, Senior Researcher with Sipri’s Arms Transfers and Military Expenditure Programme.
  • Moscow-based Almaz-Antey PAO entered the top 10 -- increasing arms sales by 17 percent year on year -- despite being subject to international sanctions:
RankCompanyCountryArms Sales (U.S. $b)
1.Lockheed Martin Corp.U.S.44.9
2.Boeing Co.U.S.26.9
3.Raytheon Co.U.S.23.9
4.BAE Systems PlcU.K.22.9
5.Northrop Grumman Corp.U.S.22.4
6.General Dynamics Corp.U.S.19.5
7.Airbus SEFrance11.3
8.Thales SAFrance9.0
9.Leonardo SpAItaly8.9
10.Almaz-AnteyRussia8.6
  • U.K. companies still accounted for the most arms sales in Western Europe, with total sales up 2.3 percent to $35.7 billion.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Tweed in Hong Kong at dtweed@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Colin Keatinge

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