Booming Russian defense companies

Long before the Ukraine-Russia crisis began with the modernization of the military. This will benefit Russian defense firms: they grow significantly, according to a new ranking. But the most money with weapons earning Americans and Europeans.

Berlin / Stockholm – Russian defense companies have their business substantially expanded in recent years. This is reflected in the new ranking of the world’s largest weapons manufacturer, which is published by the Swedish peace research institute SIPRI on Monday. Sales of Russian companies therefore increased by 20 percent in 2013.

Together with other emerging economies Russia was thus one of the growth drivers in an overall declining market: Worldwide shrank arms sales in 2013, according to SIPRI by two percent, sales by US companies have fallen by 4.5 percent. This is on the one hand, according to the Institute of reductions as a result of the US budget dispute, on the other hand on the trigger of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
The beginnings of military boom in Russia go far, according to the SIPRI experts Siemon Wezeman back to long before the Ukraine crisis. “The remarkable growth in arms sales of Russian companies both in 2012 and 2013 are to a large extent on uninterrupted military investments by the Russian government in the 2000s,” Wezemann said.

In terms of economic performance are Russia mitterweile even more money on its military than the United States. According Wezemann investments are expressly intended to “catch up with the skills and technologies of large weapons manufacturers in the US and Western Europe”.

From this target Russia and other emerging countries are still far away. Can be found at the top of the rankings still exclusively American and European companies such as Lockheed Martin chart show or EADS chart show (see photos route). Weapons manufacturers from countries like Russia, Brazil and South Korea come together so far, however, only a market share of about 3.6 percent.

On the seventh European company EADS was good with $ 15.7 billion, the German company Rheinmetall took just under $ 2.9 billion ranks 32nd in the squares 57, 61 and 72 calls SIPRI, the German company Thyssen Krupp, Diehl and Krauss Maffei Wegmann.