Economy: the armaments giants are selling more and more

Lockheed-Martin products again sold very well in 2020. The American group is consolidating its position as the world leader in the arms market.

© BAE Systems / Business Wire / AP Photo

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2 min

The arms industry does not know the crisis.

Sales by global giants are up for the sixth year in a row, according to the latest report from Sipri, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

With an increase of 17% since 2015, they have reached a new record.

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The overall turnover of the hundred largest groups in the defense sector reached a new high in 2020 with 470 billion euros in turnover, announces

in its report published on Monday, December 6.

While growth slowed compared to 2019, sales still increased by 1.3% in 2020 when, at the same time, the global economy fell by more than 3%. 

This good resistance is explained, according to Sipri, by the budget support policies implemented to mitigate the effects of health restrictions.

The sector has been protected by continued demand from governments.

The characteristics

also played a role.

The orders are spread over years.

The sector is therefore less sensitive to economic fluctuations, even if disruptions in supply chains have delayed deliveries.

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This overall increase hides disparities all the same. Unlike the others, the sales of Russian and French companies fell by -6.5% and -7.7% respectively. The American giants are still on the rise: they occupy 6 of the top 10 places. Lockheed-Martin, a producer of F-35 fighter jets and missiles in particular, is still the leader with $ 58.2 billion in sales. Three Chinese groups and one British group complete the top 10.

In a

, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces had already pointed out the bad figures to come for the national defense industry: the pandemic forced the postponement of several arms prospects according to the ministry.

A cyclical decline: "in 2021 we can hope for at least 10 billion euros in French arms sales", said the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Hervé Grandjean, during a press briefing.

►

: the supervision of French arms sales at the heart of a parliamentary report

(and with AFP)

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