US$400 Billion for Global Arms Dealers in 2009
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“Despite the continuing global economic recession in 2009, the total arms sales of … 100 of the world’s largest arms-producing companies increased by $14.8 billion from 2008,” – Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
With the exclusion of China vendors, the top 100 arms dealers sold US$401 billion in weapons in 2009, with the US leading the way – 8 percent up from the previous year and more than double its revenue in 2001.
“Despite the continuing global economic recession in 2009, the total arms sales of … 100 of the world’s largest arms-producing companies increased by $14.8 billion from 2008,” – Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
With the exclusion of China vendors, the top 100 arms dealers sold US$401 billion in weapons in 2009, with the US leading the way – 8 percent up from the previous year and more than double its revenue in 2001.
Of the 100 companies, 45 are based in the US.
“US government spending on military goods and services is a key factor in arms sales increases for US arms-producing and military services companies and for Western European companies with a foothold in the US arms and military services market,” SIPRI arms industry expert Susan Jackson explained in a statement.
In the top ten; Lockheed Martin raked in US$33.4 billion on arms sales compared to British BAE Systems US$33.3 billion.
Thirty-three of the top 100 companies based in Western European countries accounted for US$120 billion dollars worth of sales, or 30 percent of all weapons sold in 2009, according to SIPRI.
After BAE, the world’s second largest vendor, trans-European group EADS topped the ranking for the continent, securing a seventh place with $15.9 billion in sales, or 4.0 percent of the global market, and Italian Finmeccanica, which ranked eighth globally, with $13.3 billion in sales and 3.3 percent of worldwide sales.
Ten of the companies figuring on the top 100 list were based in Asia, including four in Japan and three in India, while seven were located in the Middle East, three of which were based in Israel.
Together companies in these two regions generated $24 billion in arms sales, or six percent of the global market, SIPRI said.
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