Arms industry

[1] Such entities perform a wide variety of functions, including research and development, engineering, production, and servicing of military material, equipment, and facilities.[4] In some regions of the world, there is a substantial legal trade in firearms for use by individuals (commonly cited purposes include self-defense and hunting/sporting).[5] During the early modern period, England, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands became self-sufficient in arms production, with diffusion and migration of skilled workers to more peripheral countries such as Portugal and Russia.[citation needed] The modern arms industry emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as a product of the creation and expansion of the first large military–industrial companies.[citation needed] In 1854, the British government awarded a contract to the Elswick Ordnance Company to supply the latest loading artillery pieces.[6][non-primary source needed] In 1884, he opened a shipyard at Elswick to specialize in warship production – at the time, it was the only factory in the world that could build a battleship and arm it completely.[citation needed] In the American Civil War in 1861 the North had about ten times the manufacturing capacity of the economy of the Confederate States of America.International trade in handguns, machine guns, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other relatively inexpensive weapons is substantial.There is relatively little regulation at the international level, and as a result, many weapons fall into the hands of organized crime, rebel forces, terrorists, or regimes under sanctions.The top clients and major producers are virtually all located in the western world and Russia, with the United States easily in the first place.Prominent aerospace firms include Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Saab AB, Dassault Aviation, Sukhoi, Mikoyan, EADS, Leonardo, Thales Group, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corporation, and Boeing.[10] Several of the world's great powers maintain substantial naval forces to provide a global presence, with the largest nations possessing aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and advanced anti-air defense systems.[22] This is a list of the world's largest arms manufacturers and other military service companies who profit the most from the war economy, their origin is shown as well.
F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2018
Stacks of shells in a shell filling factory during World War I
The AK series of weapons have been produced in greater numbers than any other firearm and have been used in conflicts all over the world.
Share of arms sales by country in 2013. Source is provided by SIPRI . [ 14 ]
Top arms exporters by country in Trend-Indicator Values (TIV)
U.S. arms exports by year. The U.S. exported $238 billion in arms in 2023. [ 17 ]
Sgraffito at the Lambert Sevart weapons factory, in Liege (Belgium) (early 20th century)
Global weapons sales from 1950 to 2006
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forceWargamingSimulationExercisesCombat effectivenessCenter of gravityNon-warfareArms controlCounter-insurgencyDeterrenceDisaster responseGrey-zoneGunboat diplomacyHumanitarian aidLaw enforcementLow-intensity conflictMilitary engineeringPeacekeepingPeacebuildingPeace through strengthShow of forceCultureAwards and decorationsBattle cryWarriorWar filmMilitary science fictionWar novelAnti-war movementFoot drillWar songUniformWargameMilitarizationMilitarismCamp followerSeven Military ClassicsThe Art of WarDe re militariStrategemataWomen in warWar resisterWar studiesHorses in warfareWartime sexual violenceFifth columnMercenaryPrivateerPrivate military companyBattlesMilitary occupationsMilitary termsOperationsSiegesWar crimesWritersindustrymanufacturesmilitary technologyarmed forcesstatesmunitionsweapons platformscommunications systemsindustrialized countriesdefense industrial baseprivate sectorcommercial firmsstate-owned enterprisespublic sectorresearch and developmentengineeringarsenals.Stockholm International Peace Research InstituteLockheed MartinNorthrop GrummanBoeingGeneral DynamicsUnited StatesFranceRussiaGermanyfirearmssmall arms tradepolitical instabilitySmall Arms Surveyearly modern periodmilitary–industrialbattleshipsartillery piecesriflesBritish governmentElswick Ordnance CompanyElswickImperial Japanese NavyBattle of Tsushimathe Northeconomy of the Confederate States of Americathe Southbreech-loading riflesrifled musketsPrussiaBoer WarRusso-Japanese Warweapons of World War IFirst World Warlaissez-fairethird world countriesNixon DoctrineMark V tanklight armsheavy artilleryhandgunsmachine gunsarmored personnel carriersseriesfirearmSmall arms and light weaponsList of most-produced firearmsControl Arms CampaignAmnesty InternationalInternational Action Network on Small ArmsAerospace manufacturernaval aviationmilitary satelliteswestern worldRolls-RoyceBAE SystemsSaab ABDassault AviationSukhoiMikoyanLeonardoThales GroupRTX Corporationmultinationalfighter jetsEurofighterJoint Strike Fightergreat powersnaval forcesnuclear submarinesanti-air defense systemsnuclear-powereddeveloping countriesWesternCyber-arms industryComputer securityCyberwarfareUnited KingdomIsraelRepublic of KoreaSgraffitoSoviet UnionCzechoslovakiaNetherlandsSaudi ArabiaUkrainePakistanAustraliaList of modern armament manufacturersList of defense contractorsRostecAviation Industry Corporation of ChinaNORINCOChina Electronics Technology Group CorporationL3Harris TechnologiesAirbusChina Aerospace Science and Industry CorporationChina State Shipbuilding Corporationweapons of mass destructiondiplomacygovernmentstreatiesOuter Space TreatyBiological Weapons ConventionMissile Technology Control RegimeChemical Weapons ConventionOttawa TreatyNew START TreatyArms Trade TreatyArms deal (disambiguation)Arms embargoArms raceArms traffickingGuns versus butter modelHistory of military technologyMilitary KeynesianismOffset agreementPeace and conflict 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