STOCKHOLM, Sweden (BulgarianMilitary.com) – According to the annual report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which was published today (10th December), Russia has become the second largest arms producer in the world’s top 100 in 2017, surpassing the U.K. from its second place since 2002, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

According to the SIPRI’s most recent study, the Russian companies now has moved to second place in the list, just behind the U.S. manufacturers, in the sale of weapons systems around the world. In the SIPRI Top 100 ranking, 10 Russian companies are involved. The research shows that sales of these companies increased by 8.5% in 2017 and reached to $37.7 billion (£29.7 billion). The SIPRI report states that Russian companies accounted for 9.5% of the top 100 total.

A senior researcher with SIPRI’s Arms and Military Expenditure Program, Siemon Wezeman, commented that the listed Russian companies have reported sales growth since 2011, which is “in line with Russia’s increased spending onarms procurement to modernize its armed forces.”

In a statement of Alexandra Kuimova, Research Assistant with SIPRI’s Arms and Military Expenditure Program, it is pointed out that Russia’s largest arms-producing company Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defense Corporation, “increased its arms sales by 17% in 2017, to $8.6 billion.” The Top 100 ranking includes three other companiesfrom Russia, which increased their arms sales by more than 15%, these are UEC (United Engine Corporation) – 25%, High Precision Systems – 22% and Tactical Missiles Corporation – 19%.

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The researchers of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute state that the largest arms producers in the world continued to increase the number of their sales and services in 2017. In comparison, the total for the SIPRI Top 100 in 2017 is $398.2 billion, which is 2.5% higher than in 2016, and represents a rise by 44% since 2002, the first year when the research was done. According to the document, “this is the third consecutive year of growth in Top 100 arms sales.” China is not included in the SIPRI study because company figures are unavailable.

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The U.S. continues to be the global leader in arms sales with 42 companies included in the Top 100 list in 2017 that have increased their sales by 2% last year to $226.6 billion (£178.4 billion). The world’s largest weapons producer is LockheedMartin, with sales of $44.9 billion (£35.4 billion) in 2017 alone.

The Director of SIPRI’s Arms and Military Expenditure Program, Aude Fleurant, commenting the results, said that: “U.S. companies directly benefit from the US Department of Defense’s ongoing demand for weapons.”

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Sources: Independent, TASS

