The arms industry is a massive global industry and business which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology and equipment. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" A business (also called firm or an enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand" is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons This article lists military technology items devices and methods Defense companies produce arms mainly for the armed forces of states. A defense contractor (or defence contractor, also sometimes called a military contractor) is a Business organization or individual that provides products For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. Products include guns, ammunition, missiles, military aircraft, military vehicles, ships, electronic Systems, and more. A gun is a particular Weapon that propels Projectiles The projectile is generally fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled explosive Projectile used as a weapon towards a target A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing Aircraft that is in the current employ of a Military power Military vehicles include all land Combat and transportation vehicles excluding rail-based which are designed for or are in significant use by Military forces A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size The arms industry also conducts significant research and development. The phrase research and development (also R and D or more often R&D) according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers

It is estimated that yearly, over 1 trillion dollars are spent on military expenditures and arms worldwide (2% of World GDP). ^[1] In 2004 over $30 billion were spent in the international arms trade (a figure that excludes domestic sales of arms)^[2] Many industrialized countries have a domestic arms industry to supply their own military forces. Some countries also have a substantial legal or illegal domestic trade in weapons for use by its citizens. The illegal trade in small arms is prevalent in many countries and regions affected by political instability. Small arms is a term used by the Armed forces to refer to Infantry Weapons such as the Firearms that an individual soldier can carry

Contracts to supply a given country's military are awarded by the government, making arms contracts of substantial political importance. The link between politics and the arms trade can result in the development of what US President Dwight D. Eisenhower described as a military-industrial complex, where the armed forces, commerce, and politics become closely linked. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general A military-industrial complex (MIC is a concept commonly used to refer to Policy relationships between Governments national Armed forces, and industrial Various corporations, some publicly held, others private, bid for these contracts, which are often worth many billions of dollars. Sometimes, such as the contract for the new Joint Strike Fighter, a competitive tendering process takes place, where the decision is made on the merits of the design submitted by the companies involved. Other times, no bidding or competition takes place.

In the Cold War Era, arms exports were used by both the Soviet Union and the United States to influence their standings in other countries, particularly Third World Countries. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Third World is a name given to nations that are generally considered to be underdeveloped economically Since the fall of the Soviet Union, global arms exports initially fell slightly, but have since grown again to cold war levels. ^[3] The United States is the overall top supplier of weapons. The United States is also the top supplier of weapons to the developing world, accounting for around 36% of worldwide weapons sales, followed by Russia, Britain, Germany and China. ^[4][5]

The Control Arms Campaign, founded by Amnesty International, Oxfam, and the International Action Network on Small Arms, estimates that there are over 600 million items of small arms in circulation, and that over 1135 companies based in more than 98 different countries manufacture small arms as well as their various components and ammunition. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working with over 3000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA is an international Non-governmental organization recognized by the United Nations According to Oxfam, an estimated 500,000 individuals die in small arms-conflicts every year, approximately one death per minute. ^[6]

Sectors

The AK-47 has been produced in greater numbers than any other assault rifle and has been used in conflicts all over the world. The AK-47 (contraction of Russian Автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года; Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1947 goda; "Kalashnikov's An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle

Land-based weapons

This category includes everything from light arms to heavy artillery, and the majority of producers are small. SALW is an Acronym, meaning Small Arms Light Weapons, a term used in Arms control protocols to refer to two main classes of weapons Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine Many are located in Third World countries. Third World is a name given to nations that are generally considered to be underdeveloped economically International trade in handguns, machine guns, tanks, armored personal carriers and other relatively inexpensive weapons is substantial. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical Armoured personnel carriers (APCs are Armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport Infantry on the Battlefield They usually have only a Machine There is relatively little regulation at the international level, and as a result, many legitimately produced weapons fall into the hands of rebel forces, terrorists, or regimes under sanctions. ^[7]

Aerospace systems

Encompassing military aircraft (both land-based and naval aviation), conventional missiles, and military satellites, this is the most technologically advanced sector of the market. Naval Aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies A military satellite is an Artificial satellite used for a Military purpose often for gathering intelligence, as a Communications satellite It is also the least competitive from an economic standpoint, with a handful of companies dominating the entire market. The top clients and major producers are virtually all located in the West, with the United States easily in first place. Prominent aerospace firms include Dassault Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Britain's BAE Systems. Lockheed Martin ( is a large multinational Aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology Company formed in 1995 by the merger of The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly There are also several multinational consortia mostly involved in the manufacturing of fighter jets, such as the Eurofighter. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The largest military contract in history, signed in October 2001, involved the development of the Joint Strike Fighter. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[8]

Naval systems

All of the world's major powers maintain substantial maritime forces to provide a forward presence and enhance overall mobility, with the largest nations possessing aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and advanced anti-air defense systems. A great power is a Nation or State that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with A nuclear submarine is a Submarine powered by Atomic energy. Previously conventional submarines used diesel engines that required air for moving on the Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces The vast majority of military ships are conventionally powered, but some are nuclear-powered. There is also a large global market in second-hand naval vessels, generally purchased by developing countries from Western governments. Developing countries are countries that haven't reached Western-style standards of democratic government free market economy industrialization social programs and human rights guaranties ^[9]

World's largest defense budgets

This is a list of the fifteen countries with the highest defense budgets for the year 2006. The information is from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, ^[10] Total World spending amounted to $ 1,158 billion USD in 2006, with nearly half of the total amount spent by the United States. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ( SIPRI) is an organization that conducts scientific research into questions of conflict and cooperation of importance for The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Military expenditure in market exchange rate dollar terms, 2006

Rank		Country	Spending ($b. )	%GDP ³
—		World Total	1,158(1/4 illicit)	2. 41
1		United States	528. The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States 7	3. 99
2		United Kingdom	59. The Armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces 2	2. 49
3		France	53. The Military of France encompasses an army, a navy, an air force and a military police force. 1	2. 38
4		People's Republic of China	49. The People's Liberation Army ( PLA) ( is the unified Military organization of all land sea and air forces of the People's Republic of China. 5 ¹	1. 88
5		Japan	43. The, or JSDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post- World War II American occupation of Japan 7	1. 00
6		Germany	37. The Bundeswehr ( German for "Federal Defence Force") is the name of the unified Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany 0	1. 28
7		Russia	34. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (UTC (Вооружённые Си́лы Росси́йской Федера́ции Transliteration Vooruzhyónniye Síly Rossíyskoy Federátsii 7 ¹	3. 54
8		Italy	29. The Italian Armed forces are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. 9	1. 61
9		Saudi Arabia	29. Military situation With the collapse of the Iraqi Ba'athist regime in mid-2003 the greatest conventional threat to the Saudi Kingdom was eliminated 0 ²	8. 32
10		India	23. Organization and command structure The headquarters of the Indian Armed Forces is in New Delhi, the capital city. 9	2. 69
11		South Korea	21. The Republic of Korea Armed Forces ( Hangul: 대한민국 국군 Hanja: 大韓民國 國軍 Revised Romanization: Dae-han-min-guk Guk-gun 9	2. 47
12		Canada	14. The Canadian Forces (CF ( French: Forces canadiennes) are the unified Armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence 6	1. 10
13		Australia	13. The Australian Defence Force (ADF is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia 8	1. 83
14		Brazil	13. 4	1. 26
15		Spain	12. The Armed forces of Spain are known as the Spanish Armed Forces ( Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas Españolas) 3	1. 00

• Note 1: data for China and Russia are estimates, their expenditures are not well known.
• Note 2: data for Saudi Arabia include expenditure for public order and safety and might be slight overestimates.
• Note 3: in the percentage spending per GDP, the GDP list (2006) of the International Monetary Fund was taken.
• Note 4: 1/4 of the world total il illicit and/or black market trade.

World's Largest Arms Exporters

The unit in this table is millions of dollars, US.

Supplier	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2000-2007
USA	7417	5743	5011	5601	6654	7083	7929	7454	52789
Russia	4138	5742	5655	5442	6485	6449	6623	4588	43661
Germany (FRG)	1621	825	899	1881	1001	1533	3850	3395	14246
France	1027	1199	1312	1282	2687	2050	1557	2690	13154
UK	1356	1116	742	680	1083	912	1063	1151	8010
Netherlands	259	184	243	343	271	877	1481	1355	4794
Sweden	306	849	127	468	306	587	472	413	3424
Italy	192	224	407	321	216	787	860	562	3420
China	228	498	544	553	271	223	564	355	3353
Ukraine	280	649	210	456	427	308	133	109	2917
Israel	321	298	365	309	533	244	258	238	2614
Spain	46	7	120	158	73	116	803	529	1873
Canada	83	129	182	279	305	193	227	343	1757
Switzerland	104	120	109	139	201	166	144	211	1260
Belarus	261	299	54	80	50	24			838
Poland	43	70	36	70	65	103	169	135	678
South Korea	8	165		114	20	39	89	214	623
Uzbekistan			73	340	170	4			587
South Africa	18	29	16	73	41	24	140	80	420
Czech Republic	78	89	58	64	1	40	56	13	406

The information is from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

List of major weapon manufacturers

For a complete list, see: List of modern armament manufacturers

Control and international treaty

The European Union Council stated to the U.N. General Assembly:

We are committed to upholding, implementing and further strengthening the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation framework in the fight against threats which are tending to escape the control of national sovereignty, the challenges deriving from destabilising accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons, from illicit or irresponsible arms trade, and from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which are creating new and growing hot-spots of international tension. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ( SIPRI) is an organization that conducts scientific research into questions of conflict and cooperation of importance for The following list of modern armament manufacturers presents major companies producing modern weapons and munitions For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA or Military Aircraft Factory is Argentina 's main manufacturer of Military aircraft. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Glock GmbH (trademarked as GLOCK) is a weapons manufacturer of handguns that are trade marked as "Safe Action Pistols The Austrian firm Steyr-Mannlicher is a Firearms manufacturer based in the city of Steyr. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Tenix Pty Limited is the parent company of the Tenix Group, Australia ’s largest locally-owned Technology contractor Thales Australia ( formerly ADI Limited) was the primary defence contractor for the Australian Defence Force. The ASC, formerly Australian Submarine Corporation, is a wholly government-owned Australian naval defence company headquartered at Osborne in Adelaide The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC was an Australian aircraft manufacturer The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, more often abbreviated as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN, is a Belgian manufacturer of Firearms The official Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Avibras Indústria Aeroespacial is a diversified Brazilian company which designs develops and manufactures defense products and services Embraer -- IPA [ɪ̃ⁿbɾaˈɛɾ] -- the Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S The Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Military. Forjas Taurus S/A (Taurus Forge is a manufacturing conglomerate based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Colt Canada is a Firearms Manufacturer located in Kitchener Ontario, Canada. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The China North Industries Corporation ( official English name Norinco, manufactures vehicles (trucks cars and motorcycles machinery optical-electronic products oil field The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Skandinavisk Aero Industri A/S (abbreviated SAI) was a Danish manufacturer of aeroplanes that existed between 1937 and 1954 This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. History AOI was established in 1975 with the aim of building an advanced technological industrial base This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV ( EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation formed by the merger on July 10, Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of The Thales Group ( is a French Electronics company delivering mission-critical information systems and services for the Aerospace, Defense Nexter (formerly known as GIAT Industries or Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre, Army's Industries Group is a French government-owned Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Ko KG is a German arms manufacturer and a subsidiary of the Diehl Stiftung GmbH with headquarters in Überlingen. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV ( EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation formed by the merger on July 10, Heckler & Koch GmbH ( H&K) (pronounced ˈhɛklɐʔʊntˈkɔx is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG (KMW or simply Krauss-Maffei is an Injection molding machine manufacturer and Defence company based in Germany Rheinmetall AG is a German Automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer maker of a line of Bolt-action Rifles from the 1870s to present Lürssen (or Lürssen Werft) is a German Shipbuilding company based in Bremen-Vegesack. ThyssenKrupp AG ( is a large German industrial conglomerate, with more than 200000 employees MBDA is a missile manufacturer with operations in France, Germany, Italy and Britain. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO) ( Hindi: रक्षा अनुसंधान एवं विकास संघठन, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL) based in Bangalore, India, is one of Asia 's largest Aerospace companies The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. PT PINDAD is an Indonesian manufacturing industry specializing in military and commercial products For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Israel Aerospace Industries ( Hebrew: התעשייה האווירית לישראל ha-ta`aSiyyâh ha-'awîrît lë-yiSrâ'êl) or IAI (תע"א ta`a' Israel Weapons Industries (IWI formerly the small arm "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd (formerly RAFAEL Armament Development Authority) known as RAFAEL or Rafael, (also spelled as Raphael or Elbit Systems Ltd is one of Israel 's largest defense electronics manufacturers and integrators Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest This article is about a firearm manufacturer for the car see Chevrolet Beretta. Finmeccanica SpA is an Italian conglomerate. Finmeccanica is the second largest industrial group and the largest of the Hi-tech industrial groups based Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani SpA is a Shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Avio SpA is an Italian aerospace engine manufacturer Formerly owned by FIAT S AgustaWestland is a Helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom. Benelli Armi SpA is an Italian Firearm manufacturer founded in 1967 located in Urbino, Italy most well known for high quality Shotguns Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA, one of two operating companies of Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG of Norway, is a supplier of defence and space related Nammo short for Nordic Ammunition Group is a Norwegian Military industry manufacturer of Ammunition. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. INDEP - Indústrias Nacionais de Defesa EP ( Defense National Industries Public Corporation) originally Fábrica do Braço de Prata ( Silver Arms Factory Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Sukhoi ( Сухой) is a major Russian manufacturer famous for its fighters JSC "RSK "MiG" or Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG in full (formerly Mikoyan or Mikoyan-i-Gurevich Design Bureau, Микоян Mil Helicopters (Миль is the short name of the Soviet Russian Helicopter producer Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (Московский вертолетный завод Tupolev ( Туполев) is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Moscow. Ilyushin (Илью́шин or Ilyushin Design Bureau is a Russian Design bureau and Aircraft Manufacturer (design office prefix AS Yakovlev Design Bureau JSC is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer (design office prefix Yak) JSC VV Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Design (ОАО «Научно-исследовательский институт имени В Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology is a Russian (and former Soviet) scientific Research institute that was founded on May 13, 1946 Izhevsk Mechanical Works ( (Ижевский Mашзавод or IZhMASh (ИЖМАШ is a weapons manufacturer based in Izhevsk JSC "NPO "Almaz" named after A A Raspletin (former KB-1, 1950—1966 MKB Strela, 1966—1971 TsKB Almaz, 1971—1988 is a Vympel NPO is a Russian research and production company based near Moscow, mostly known for their Air-to-air missiles Other projects include SAM and The Beriev Aircraft Company, formerly Beriev Design Bureau, is a Russian Aircraft manufacturer (design office prefix Be) specializing in Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Zastava Arms (Застава оружје Zastava oružje from Kragujevac Serbia is a subsidiary of Zastava, and is the sole producer of civilian The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Denel (Pty Ltd is a South African government dominated military-industrial and technological conglomerate established in 1991. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV ( EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation formed by the merger on July 10, Navantia (Established in 2005) formerly Bazán or IZAR, has become Spain 's leading State-owned Shipbuilding firm offering "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. BAE Systems AB is a Swedish defence company and a subsidiary of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. Kockums AB is a Shipyard in Malmö, Sweden owned by the German shipyard HDW in Kiel. Saab AB is an Aerospace and defense company based in Sweden. History "Svenska Aeroplan AB (aktiebolaget" ( Swedish for Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation SIG SAUER ( SIGARMS until October 2007 is the US representative of Swiss/German manufacturing firm Swiss Arms AG, which was split off of RUAG is a Swiss technology company with its holding in Bern. It has production sites in Switzerland Germany (Oberpfaffenhofen Hamburg und Fürth Pilatus Aircraft Ltd is an aircraft manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. MOWAG is a Swiss company which develops designs and produces armoured vehicles for military applications in both land-only and amphibious configurations Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu or MKEK established in 1950 is a reorganization of government-controlled group of factories in Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc ASELSAN was founded by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation at the end of 1975 to produce tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex ( Antonov ASTC) (Авіаційний науково-технічний комплекс імені Антонова Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (Харківське Конструкторське Бюро по Mашинобудуванню ім The Malyshev Factory ( Zavod imeni VO Malysheva, Завод імені В Fort is a Ukrainian weapons manufacturer from Vinnytsia, Ukraine. The AM Makarov Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant, or PA Yuzhmash (Виробниче Об'єднання Південний Машинобудівний Завод імені А Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (Державне конструкторське бюро «Південне» ім The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly Cobham plc ( is a British manufacturing company based in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. MBDA is a missile manufacturer with operations in France, Germany, Italy and Britain. Rolls-Royce plc ( is a British Aircraft engine maker and the second-largest in the world behind GE Aviation. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the AAI Corporation is an aerospace and defense development and manufacturing firm in Hunt Valley Maryland. BAE Systems Inc (formerly BAE Systems North America) is a major subsidiary of the UK -based defence and aerospace company BAE Systems plc. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E Colt's Manufacturing Company ( CMC --formerly Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company) is a United States Firearms manufacturer founded in General Atomics is a nuclear physics and Defense contractor headquartered in San Diego California. GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale Ohio (a Cincinnati suburb General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor Honeywell ( is a major American multinational conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products engineering services and aerospace systems Lockheed Martin ( is a large multinational Aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology Company formed in 1995 by the merger of Northrop Grumman Corporation ( is an Aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. Raytheon Company ( is a major American Defense contractor and industrial corporation with core Manufacturing concentrations in Defense systems United Technologies Corporation (UTC ( is an American multinational conglomerate based in Hartford, Connecticut and is the 20th Pratt & Whitney is an American Aircraft engine manufacturer of products widely used in both civil and military aircraft. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is an American Aircraft manufacturer The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Membership For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly see General Assembly members Disarmament refers to the act of reducing limiting or abolishing Weapons. Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of Nuclear weapons, fissile material and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information to nations In this regard, the EU welcomes the growing support in all parts of the world for an International Arms Trade Treaty and is firmly committed to this process. ^[11]

Institutes participating in weapon research and warfare simulation

• Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research [1]
• Bolt, Beranek and Newman
• QinetiQ
• World Security Institute

Ethical dimension

For many people, arms exports may pose an ethical challenge, as they may see supplying the weapons for a conflict as morally akin to becoming involved with negligible personal, national or corporate risk. Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek or TNO ( Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) is a not-for-profit QinetiQ ( (pronounced, as in Kinetic energy) is a British defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former government agency The World Security Institute ( WSI) is a American Think tank committed to independent research and journalism on global affairs Essentially, they view the arms industry as a means of profiting from war and death when failure to supply arms could lead to an early disengagement.

On the other hand, exporting arms to groups (or nations) with "laudable" goals- a rebel group overthrowing a fascist regime, say- can be an invaluable equalizer in the conflict. And there is no shortage of parties to a conflict- the Hutus during the Rwandan genocide, for example- that had little trouble making use of such archaic, inexpensive technology as the machete, to attack and terrorize the Tutsi community.

Of course- and this is endemic of nearly every debate over arms trade- the terminology used and the people it refers to can be frustratingly fluid. As years pass, governments decide on new "interests" and circumstances change accordingly. "Freedom fighters" become "insurgents". "Terrorists" become "invaluable allies", and "religious zealots" morph into "agents of stability". Entire nations, to use the parlance of the early 21st century, can go from the "Coalition of the Willing" to the "Axis of Evil" in very little time, and every change affects policy and the distribution of arms in the world.

See also

• Small arms proliferation
• European Union arms embargo on China
• List of National Defense Industries
• Private military contractors
• Campaign Against Arms Trade
• Canadian Arms trade
• List of countries by military expenditures
• Permanent arms economy
• Military funding of science
• Military Keynesianism
• Peace dividend
• Guns versus butter theory
• Al Yamamah arms deal
• Arms control

References

1. ^ www.globalissues.org
2. ^ BBC
3. ^ www.sipri.org
4. ^ US drives world military spending to record high. 12/06/2006. ABC News Online
5. ^ U.S. leads arms sales to developing countries
6. ^ www.oxfam.org.uk
7. ^ www.fpa.org
8. ^ www.fpa.org
9. ^ www.fpa.org
10. ^ http://www.sipri.org/contents/milap/milex/mex_major_spenders.pdf
11. ^ EU@UN - EU Presidency Statement - United Nations 62nd General Assembly: General Debate

External links

• Defense Sector Investment Benchmark - SPADE Defense Index (AMEX: DXS)
• World Security Institute's Center for Defense Information
• Campaign Against Arms Trade (UK)
• SIPRI arms industry reports and database
• SIPRI list of Top 100 arms-producing companies
• The Guardian's arms trade report
• List of participators of the Defense System and Equipment international conference in London, 2003
• FAS's Arms Sales Monitoring Project
• UN Department for Disarmament Affairs
• ControlArms.org
• Amnesty International: Arms Trade Treaty
• The British Library - finding information on the defense industry
• Z. Yihdego, Arms Trade and International Law, Hart: OXford, 2007