LONDON -

The economic crisis in the world does not extend to the arms trade, as the latter has returned to its golden days since 2021. According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), sales of 100 arms manufacturing companies in the world increased by 1.9% during 2021. compared to the year 2020.

According to the report of the International Institute, the 100 largest weapons manufacturing companies achieved sales of $ 592 billion in 2021, recording an increase for the seventh year in a row, and gradually returning to the pre-Corona pandemic stage, as these companies were achieving a growth rate of 3.7%.

According to the expectations of the Institute's experts, the arms industry will witness a continuous rise during the years 2022 and 2023 due to the war in Ukraine, but it will face a crisis in the supply chain, given that Russia is one of the largest exporters of arms parts in the world.

What is interesting about the data provided by the institute is the strong entry of Chinese arms companies into the list of the 10 largest arms manufacturers in the world.

Despite the continued American domination of this sector, the figures show that Chinese companies are now competing with European companies in particular.

The Chinese missile "Dong Feng-26" and other Chinese weapons threaten to break Western hegemony in this sector (Associated Press)

American hegemony

American arms manufacturing companies occupy the top five positions in the arms sector, and 40 American companies achieved arms sales worth $299 billion in 2021. They are as follows:

  • Lockheed Martin is at the forefront of arms companies in the world, and in 2021 it achieved sales of $60 billion. The American company is considered the giant in the manufacture of warplanes in the world, as it is responsible for manufacturing the F-35 aircraft. ) modern.

  • The second company in the ranking is Raytheon, which achieved sales of $41 billion. It is the most important company in the world in the manufacture of defense systems, and it is responsible for manufacturing the Patriot defense system.

  • And in third place comes the "Boeing" company, which achieved sales of $33 billion during the year 2021 through its sales in everything related to military aviation, early warning systems and radars.

  • And in fourth place comes Northrop Grumman, which achieved $29.8 billion in arms sales in 2021, and the American company is the largest corporation for building aircraft carriers as well as building nuclear submarines, and it will have a major role in the deal that was concluded between the United States US and Australia to build nuclear submarines.

  • The fifth company in the ranking is General Dynamics, which achieved sales of $26.3 billion in 2021, and is the largest manufacturer of F-16 aircraft, in addition to manufacturing a number of warships of the US Navy. .


China is coming strong

With the exception of the British “BAE” company, which ranks sixth in the ranking of arms companies after achieving sales of $ 26 billion during the year 2021, the rest of the companies in the list of the 10 largest weapons companies in the world are Chinese companies.

And according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's classification, places from seventh to tenth are held by Chinese manufacturers, a situation that is unusual at least during the past decade when the hegemony was purely Western:

  • We find the company "Norinco" in seventh place in the ranking of arms companies, which achieved during 2021 sales worth $ 21 billion, and it is considered the most famous arms manufacturing company in China, and it was subjected more than once to US embargo sanctions on the pretext of providing missile equipment to Iran, and it is a specialized company In the production of various types of light and heavy weapons.

  • And in eighth place is AVIC, the Chinese Aerospace and Aerospace Industry Corporation wholly owned by the Chinese government.

    And during 2021, it achieved $ 20 billion in sales.

  • And in ninth place comes the "Casc" company, which is the Chinese company for science and space technologies, and during 2021 it achieved arms sales worth $ 19 billion, and it is the main supplier of strategic missiles to the Chinese army.

  • The Chinese company “CETC” ranks tenth in the world, and has achieved $14 billion in arms sales. This company is on the blacklist of the US Department of Defense, and in 2020 it was subjected to sanctions from the US State Department because of its interference in the conflict over the South Sea. China.

Chinese arms companies are achieving the fastest growth rate compared to the rest of the arms companies in the world, as they recorded a growth of 6% during 2021, and the total sales of 8 Chinese arms companies during the same year amounted to more than $ 101 billion, and China currently owns the largest military ship manufacturing company in the world. .