The arms trade is one of the most profitable markets in the world today. The manufacturing and exportation of weapons account for the majority of the GDP of many of the larger western nations. These systems don’t just consist of basic firearms, but encompass, land, air and sea. Below is a list of the 7 biggest weapons manufactures in the world.
Israel
Israel is a country that finds itself in an area that has been known to have many wars breaking out and is a country that also receives a high level of threats to its sovereignty. This situation that the small country has found itself in has led to Israel to develop its own arms program that has turned into one of the most profitable businesses in the region. Israel’s weapons industry is estimated to be around $1074 million a year in weapons exports.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom was once one of the strongest empires that has been seen in history. This power ended up declining after the 2 world wars, but the UK’s weapon industry is still going strong and has made it one of the powerhouses of the weapons industry. Today the United Kingdom is estimated to generate around $1083 million a year in weapons exports.
Germany
Germany is one the western nations that finds itself in a unique position. Like Japan, Germany is not allowed to have a standing army but is allowed to have a defense force. These restrictions on their military hasn’t slowed down Germany’s weapons production. With an estimated $1110 million worth of weapons exports each year, Germany has been able to establish itself as one of the leaders in the weapon manufacturing.
France
France is been able to develop a reputation for not just having some of the most advanced weapons systems in the world, but also has export profits that are higher than the majority of other nations. France’s weapons industry covers land, sea and air weapons and is often one of the first choices for many developing nations who are looking to develop their own security forces. France generates roughly $1200 million a year with its weapons export business.
China
China has been able to build up a reputation for being a manufacturing powerhouse in the 21st century. The large work force and numerous trade pacts, has put China ahead of many of competitors in various fields. With its arm’s business, China manages to stay ahead of the other nations on our list, but still has a little ways to go before it can begin to match the top two nations on our list. China is estimated to generate $1978 million dollars a year with its weapons export industry.
Russia
Russia is a nation that has a long of history of having a strong military and also developed a reputation of being a nation that is impossible to conquer. The sheer landmass that exists has been the down fall of many armies who sought to take the capital. During the Cold War, Russia (than the Soviet Union), found itself in an arms race with the United States. This arms race didn’t just consists of trying to create massive stock piles of conventional weapons, but also lead to the country investing a great deal of its capital into the development of various weapons systems. Russia is estimated to generate around $5971 million a year from its weapons export industry.
United States
Like Russia, the arms race of the cold war gave the United States a massive stock pile and the funding that allowed for its weapons industry to grow and flourish. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States continued with its weapons manufacturing and started investing heavily into weapons research. The United States doesn’t just invest heavily in developing its weapons technology, but it also plays homes to some of the biggest weapons companies, such as Lockheed Martin, in the world. The United States weapons export business is estimated to be around $10194 million dollars a year, putting it well over the export rates of the other nations on our list.
