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History has been witnessing to wars that incorporated the use of extensive weapons so that nations could exert their power. The world has seen conflicts and violent crimes for years, making the manufacture and sales of arms a major industry.

From the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II, to the recent air strikes in Syria, the world has observed immense devastation with the advancement in weapon technology. Even when a country is not participating in war, it looks to upgrading its weaponry and defense forces. However, when these weapons are used, it is the civilians who suffer the most.

Numerous government organizations have serious concerns regarding world peace. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) negotiated in New York City, became operative in December 2014, for the regulation of global trade in conventional weapons. With an aim to improve regional security and diminish human suffering, the treaty established common international standards to reduce the irresponsible arms transfers. For the prevention of war crimes, the guidelines of the international treaty, are strictly followed by all countries indulging in arms trading.

The SIPRI Arms Industry Database was introduced in 1989 to estimate the production and exports of arms by different companies around the world. Amid the top 20 companies, 14 are headquartered in the United States of America. According to the latest data released by the organization in 2016, Lockheed Martin Corporation is the leading arms producer in the world. The company, which is known for its highly advanced products and has recently introduced LM-100J ‘FireHerc’, a civil-certified firefighting air-tanker, witnessed a staggering USD 40,830 million arms sales in 2016.

Here is a list of top 20 arms producing companies that are supplying many nations around the world some of their best and jaw-dropping products.

Company Headquarters Country Arms Sales million (US$) (2016) Lockheed Martin Corp. Bethesda, Maryland United States 40,830 Boeing Chicago, Illinois United States 29,510 Raytheon Waltham, Massachusetts United States 22,910 BAE Systems London & Farnborough United Kingdom 22,790 Northrop Grumman Corp. 2980 Fairview Park Drive, West Falls Church, Virginia United States 21,400 General Dynamics Corp. West Falls Church, Virginia United States 19,230 Airbus Group Leiden, Netherlands (headquarters) Blagnac, France (main office) Trans-European 12,520 BAE Systems Inc. (BAE Systems UK) Arlington, Virginia United States 9,300 L-3 Communications New York City, New York United States 8,890 Leonardo NA Italy 8,500 Thales La Defense France 8,170 United Technologies Corp. Farmington, Connecticut United States 6,870 Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News, Virginia United States 6,720 United Aircraft Corp. Moscow Russia 5,160 Bechtel Corp. Blue Shield of California Building, San Francisco, California United States 4,920 Textron NA United States 4,760 Pratt & Whitney (United Technology Corp. USA) NA United States 4,530 Rolls-Royce Derby, England United Kingdom 4,450 Leidos NA United States 4,300 Harris Corp. Melbourne, Florida United States 4,200

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