As per the report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) titled ‘Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies, 2020’, 3 Indian defence manufactures companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Indian Ordnance Factories, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) ranks among the top 100 manufacturers globally.
- The HAL, ranked 42nd, and BEL, ranked 66th, and Indian Ordnance Factories ranked 60th.
- The arms sales of HAL, BEL, and Indian Ordnance Factories increased by 1.5 percent, 4.0 percent, and 0.2 percent respectively in 2020 when compared to 2019.
India’s Contribution:
i.Out of the top 100 Arms Manufacturing Companies, Companies from India contributes for 1.2 percent of total arms sales of companies in the SIPRI Top 100 for 2020.
ii.India’s aggregated arms sales in 2020 was about $6.5 billion, and it was 1.7 percent higher than in 2019.
iii.Top arms-producing and military services companies in the world, 2020:
| Rank | Company | Country | Arms sales, 2020 (in million US$) | Change in arms sales, 2019–20 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | HAL | India | 2970 | 1.5 |
| 60 | Indian Ordnance Factories | India | 1900 | 0.2 |
| 66 | BEL | India | 1630 | 4.0 |
| 1 | Lockheed Martin Corp. | United States (US) | 58210 | 7.7 |
| 2 | Raytheon Technologies | US | 36780 | -5.7 |
| 3 | Boeing | US | 32130 | -5.8 |
Top 5 Country that holds highest share of total arms sales of companies in the SIPRI Top 100 for 2020:
| Country | Share of total arms sales of companies |
|---|---|
| US | 54% |
| China | 13% |
| United Kingdom | 7.1% |
| Russia | 5.0% |
| France | 4.7% |
Key Points:
i.The combined arms sales of the world’s largest top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in 2020 was about $531 billion.
ii.The arms sales of the Top 100 were 17 percent higher in 2020 than in 2015.
iii.With 41 arms companies, the USA has the highest number of companies in the top 100 worldwide.
- Together, their arms sales amounted to $285 billion, an increase of 1.9 percent compared with 2019. The top five companies are from the US.
iv.With 13 percent share of total Top 100 arms sales, China stands at 2nd to the US in terms of manufacturing military equipment, arms and weapons.
Recent Related News:
According to a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India’s import of arms decreased by 33% between 2011-15 and 2016-20 due to its increased push for ‘Make-in-India’ initiative and other measures to boost the domestic defence industry.
About SIPRI:
Establishment – 1966
Headquarters – Solna, Sweden
Director – Dan Smith
