Arms exports in the world statistics. How many weapons does China buy from Russia? China ranked fifth in the list of largest arms exporting countries. What is SIPRI and how is the rating calculated?
For Russia, arms exports are one of the main and priority types of income at the state level. Today Russia is number two in the world for this type of export and is only slightly behind the United States. Moreover, this gap is constantly decreasing, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Russian weapons are constantly being improved, and budget revenues from their trade are growing.
Today, participation in the global arms business gives the country one of its largest sources of income. From 2000 to 2010, the amount of Russian arms exports increased from 3 billion dollars to 10.4 billion. In 2015, this figure was already 14 billion, and the dynamics of the first half of 2016 give reason to believe that Russian arms exports will exceed 15 billion.
Russia's position in this market is constantly strengthening, and today Russia accounts for over a quarter of the total arms trade in the world. At the same time, the geography of supplies of Russian weapons is very extensive, covering dozens of countries around the world. Some of the largest consumers of our weapons are India, China, Vietnam, Algeria, Venezuela, and the countries of the Middle East. According to 2012 data, Russian weapons were purchased in 66 countries.
Of course, the lion's share of Russian weapons is bought by Asian and African countries. In total, this is almost 80% of Russian supplies. However, recently exports to European countries have also been growing. Trade with Latin American countries is increasing significantly.
The main operator of Russian arms exports is state company Rosoboronexport, which has representative offices in 44 states and 26 regions of Russia.
It is worth noting that the structure Russian exports shows that, contrary to popular belief, which is constantly broadcast by the liberal media, the lion’s share falls not on “old tanks and cheap Kalashnikov assault rifles,” but on the latest high-tech and, accordingly, the most expensive military equipment and equipment.
First of all, as follows from our infographics, these are aviation, air defense systems, guided precision weapons and warships. They account for more than 80% of the Russian sector, while small arms and ammunition account for less than 15%.
From 2010 to 2011 alone, exports of aircraft alone increased from $3.1 billion to $4.8 billion. The basis for this growth was the start of deliveries of the Su-30, the newest Russian multirole fighter generation “4+”.
In addition, there is one important aspect in arms exports that allows Russia to feel confident in the arms markets of the world, and the legacy of the USSR plays a significant role in this. Russia inherited a large number of reliable partners from the Soviet Union, and the reason for this is very simple.
The fact is that the arms market for technology and equipment differs significantly from other segments of the international market. For example, in the construction industry, you may own a large fleet of Caterpillar equipment, but this will not prevent you from purchasing products from other manufacturers. In a word, the principles of interpersonal relationships do not work here. Buying a car of a different model does not equal adultery.
If you choose a certain model of fighter or equip your army with tanks of a certain model, then you inevitably become dependent on the country of manufacture. Very few countries in the world have their own powerful military-industrial complex, which allows them to establish an uninterrupted supply of spare parts for their fleet of equipment and carry out maintenance of complex equipment on their own.
Huge supplies of Soviet military equipment V a large number of countries, primarily the countries of the socialist camp and the Warsaw Pact. You can “transplant” your army from a T-72 tank to a T-90 tank almost painlessly. Re-equipping your armored forces with, for example, German Leopard 2 tanks will be extremely difficult, painful and expensive.
This will require not only retraining of crews, but the creation of highly complex technical infrastructure. For more than a decade, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and other former Warsaw Pact countries have been trying to transition to NATO-standard equipment. As far as shooting techniques go, this is relatively easy. But with tanks and planes everything is much more difficult.
Russia cannot and must not lose its position in the global arms market. The slogan “butter instead of guns” will not work here. In the Russian military-industrial complex today these are hundreds of thousands of jobs, this high tech, these are advanced scientific developments. Understanding this, only an ignorant person can talk about conversion, that it’s time to produce tractors for farmers and bicycles for children at Uralvagonzavod.
By and large, the deep modernization and diversification of the Russian economy largely depends on the military-industrial complex.
This is the future.
Those directly related to the export of Russian weapons were present. In particular, the amount of Russian arms exports in 2017 was officially announced. Details also appeared on the possible production of T-90S/SK tanks in Egypt, and Rosoboronexport announced the promotion of a new Russian anti-aircraft gun on international markets. missile complex"Viking" (Buk-M3).
The Kremlin named the volume of exports of Russian weapons and military equipment in 2017
In early March, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin held the first meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation between the Russian Federation and Foreign States in 2018. Traditionally, at the beginning of the meeting, the results of the work for the previous year were summed up. Vladimir Putin noted that Russia still holds a high mark, confirming its status as one of the leading supplying countries on the international arms market. According to him, the volume of foreign supplies of Russian-made weapons and military equipment has been growing for the third year in a row, in 2017 it amounted to more than $15 billion, the Russian President reports.
The President emphasized that the ability to work effectively even in conditions of economic sabotage and political provocations emphasizes strengths Russian system of military-technical cooperation (MTC), its stability and very big potential. This assessment belongs to the buyers themselves and potential purchasers of Russian weapons and military equipment. At the same time, geography Russian cooperation MTC is constantly expanding, and the number of our partners already exceeds 100 countries.
At the meeting, it was noted that at the end of 2017, the volume of signed contracts almost doubled, exceeding $16 billion. Currently, the order portfolio for Russian weapons and military equipment is estimated at more than $45 billion. This means that the Russian military-industrial complex is provided with orders for the supply of various types of weapons and military equipment for several years to come.
During the meeting, it was noted that the experience of modern wars and conflicts shows us that it is unacceptable to neglect the means of protecting people and protecting state sovereignty. That's why Russian Federation will actively develop military-technical cooperation with all interested states, including in the most high-tech segments for those types of weapons - air defense systems, aviation equipment, Ground Forces, Navy, – which showed exceptional effectiveness during military operations in Syria.
New details on the assembly of T-90S/SK tanks in Egypt have become known
According to the Algerian online resource menadefense.net, licensed assembly of Russian T-90S/SK tanks in Egypt should begin in the 4th quarter of 2019, after supplies of vehicle kits begin from Russia. Supplies will be carried out by JSC Research and Production Corporation Uralvagonzavod. According to the Algerian publication, according to an agreement reached between Moscow and Cairo, Egypt will receive and assemble at its enterprises 400 T-90S/SK main battle tanks, of which 200 vehicles will be supplied in the form of ordinary vehicle kits (SKD), and another 200 in the form of kits SKD, which involve welding and assembly of some elements (turret and hull). The program for assembling Russian tanks in Egypt is designed for 2019-2026 with a planned rate of 50 combat vehicles per year.
As a specialized blog notes, in the previously published annual report of Uralvagonzavod for 2016, the list of priority areas of military-technical cooperation included “work on a project to create an enterprise for the licensed assembly of T-90S/SK tanks (SK - command version) at the customer “818” (Egypt)". Financial details of the deal with Egypt were not disclosed. At the same time, in 2018, Russia already began deliveries of T-90S/SK to Iraq, which ordered 73 tanks. The first part of 36 combat vehicles was handed over to the customer in February current year, the remaining tanks are planned to be delivered to Iraq by the end of April. In addition, Vietnam also bought similar tanks.
It is worth noting that since 1992, in Egypt, at Tank Plant No. 200, located in Helwan, the licensed assembly of American main battle tanks M1A1 Abrams has been carried out from vehicle kits supplied directly from the United States as part of military assistance; the tanks assembled here are in service with the Egyptian army . The plant itself was built back in 1984 as part of an agreement with General Dynamics Corporation. The construction cost was $150 million, and the work was also financed by American military aid to Cairo. In total, from 1992 to the present, the United States has already financed the supply of 1,105 vehicle kits for M1A1 Abrams tanks to Egypt in addition to the 25 ready-made Abrams delivered in the same 1992. Moreover, the first 75 machine kits are of the SKD level, the rest are of the CKD level of varying degrees of localization. Previously, Egypt planned to produce 1300-1500 M1A1 tanks in the country, however, at present, the prospects for the production of these tanks at the Egyptian plant No. 200 no longer look as certain as before, although the assembly of Abrams tanks here will apparently continue.
Rosoboronexport has begun promoting the Viking air defense system to foreign markets
At the end of March, Rosoboronexport announced the start of promotion of the newest Russian air defense system Viking (Buk-M3) to foreign markets. According to Sergei Ladygin general director company "Rosoboronexport", at present in the world arms market among competitors the Viking anti-aircraft missile system simply has no equal. “This complex has preserved everything best qualities, which were inherent in the Buk line of air defense systems, it represents a new word in the development of medium-range air defense systems. The manufacturer has endowed new complex a set of unique characteristics that meet modern demands in the field of protecting infrastructure and troops from air strikes carried out by modern and promising means of air attack, including in conditions of fire and electronic countermeasures from the enemy,” noted Sergei Ladygin.
According to "", the highly mobile, multi-channel medium-range air defense system "Viking" is a further development of the world-famous line of air defense systems of the "Kub" - "Buk" series. Compared to the Buk-M2E air defense system, the firing range of the new complex was increased almost 1.5 times - up to 65 kilometers. In addition, the number of simultaneously fired targets was increased by 1.5 times - 6 air targets with each self-propelled firing system (SPG). At the same time, the number of anti-aircraft guided missiles ready to launch in a firing position consisting of two combat units increased from 8 to 18.
“The Buk-M3 air defense system adopted by the Russian Army and its export version called “Viking” demonstrated very good results during exercises and operation. high level combat effectiveness. The Viking complex has the ability to destroy, with a very high degree of probability, not only aviation targets, attacking elements of high-precision weapons, but also tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as ground and sea targets,” Ladygin emphasized. At the same time, the Viking anti-aircraft missile system received a number of unique features; they had not previously been implemented in any air defense system.
For example, the Viking air defense system has the opportunity to integrate launchers from another Russian anti-aircraft missile system"Antey-2500", which provides the ability to destroy air targets at a distance of up to 130 kilometers. The combat control point of the new air defense system has the ability to interface not only with the standard radar, but also with other radar stations, including foreign ones. In addition, the Viking air defense system provided for the possibility of autonomous use of fire units and even individual self-propelled guns, which increases the total defended area and the number of objects protected from air strikes, and also allows foreign customers to minimize the cost of organizing a full-fledged air defense system.
Fact about Azerbaijan's dissatisfaction with the quality of Russian weapons
At the end of March, the Belarusian opposition publication “” (based in Poland) published a large article by Yuri Baranevich entitled “Supplies of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan cause discontent in Baku and indignation in Armenia.” Regardless of the level of presentation of information and its reliability, it can be noted that for the Republic of Belarus (for the completely official Minsk) such material would also be beneficial in the sense that Azerbaijan is traditionally a buyer of Belarusian weapons, including potential buyer the Polonaise missile system, which is positioned as a counterweight to the Russian Iskander-E OTRK, which were previously supplied to Armenia. Currently, Belarus is a fairly large player in the international arms market, selling military products worth approximately one billion dollars a year. The result for a country with a population smaller than the population of Moscow is more than worthy.
The above article stated that Azerbaijan is dissatisfied with the quality and state of military-technical cooperation with Russia and is trying to find an alternative to such cooperation. It is reported that at the end of 2017, during a closed meeting of the Russian-Azerbaijani commission on military-technical cooperation, official Baku raised the issue of Moscow’s fulfillment of its obligations to supply various military equipment under existing and completed contracts. It is reported that during the commission, Baku expressed a fairly large number of claims.
Firstly, Azerbaijan indicated dissatisfaction with the fulfillment of the terms of contracts for the supply of BMP-3, BTR-82, T-90S, Msta-S self-propelled guns, Tor-M2 air defense systems, Smerch MLRS, as well as other types of weapons to the country Russian production. It is noted that the main complaints of Baku are related to the inconsistency of the supplied military equipment with the lists specified in the contracts technical equipment, lack technical documentation on equipment, the failure of some samples of military equipment due to obvious factory defects, as well as the lack of components necessary for carrying out current repairs equipment supplied to the country.
Secondly, Baku complains about specific problems: missiles for the Smerch MLRS do not explode when fired, and ammunition for BTR-82A machine guns does not reach the target at all; On Mi-35 helicopters, thermocouple breakdowns are constantly observed, which prevent the engine from starting, automatic fire systems and firing of Shturm-V and Ataka-M missiles do not work properly, and malfunctions in the operation of on-board equipment also occur.
In addition, despite the fact that the Azerbaijani side categorically insists on eliminating all identified problems during the current year, Russia points out the impossibility of these requirements and proposes to ensure that the issue is resolved by 2021.
The above passages were officially refuted by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, as reported by the website of the local news agency. The country's Ministry of Defense noted that the messages that appeared in the media do not correspond to reality and are provocative in nature. The defense department especially emphasized the fact that Azerbaijan pays special attention to the issue of acquiring various types of weapons and military equipment in certain manufacturing countries, choosing the best, highest quality and effective military products that the Azerbaijani army needs to increase its combat potential.
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, in response to a request from 1news.az, noted: “New Russian-made weapons meet the increased requirements for modern systems weapons, and also significantly increases the fire and maneuver capabilities of units, and especially those that perform combat missions at the forefront of the defense of our troops.”
In connection with the publication of data on the supply of main types of conventional weapons and military equipment from 2011 to 2015.
The institute's database covers the period since 1950, and in describing trends in international military transfers, institute experts use five-year averages.
According to the ranking published by SIPRI, the top five largest arms suppliers, as before, continue to be headed by the United States, which accounts for 33% of the share of global arms exports. SIPRI analysts call Saudi Arabia (9.7%) the main clients of the United States. United Arab Emirates(9.1%) and Turkey (6.6%).
According to SIPRI, the largest recipient region of American weapons was the Middle East, which accounted for 41% of US exports. For countries in Asia and Oceania - 40%.
Salon: The United States has become the leader in the arms market at the expense of extremistsThe United States maintains leadership in the international arms market, but a significant part of its supplies goes to the Persian Gulf countries, which actively support Islamist extremist groups, the publication notes.In general, supplies of major types of conventional weapons from the United States over the past five years have increased by 27% compared to 2006-2010.
Second place in the list of largest exporters, as in the previous five-year period, was given to Russia - its share in international arms exports amounted to 25%. In general, the authors of the report note, exports of the main types of conventional weapons from Russia increased by 28% between 2006-2010 and 2011-2015. At the same time, the authors of the report noted a trend toward a slowdown in exports from Russia in 2014 and 2015.
According to SIPRI, three countries have become the main recipients of Russian weapons over the past five years - India (39%), China (11%) and Vietnam (11%).
In general, about 68% of Russian arms exports in the period from 2011 to 2015 went to countries in Asia and Oceania.
Moscow also managed to gain a foothold in the European arms market (6.4%), while SIPRI notes an increase in supplies to Europe by 264%.
For the second period in a row, the third place among the largest exporters in the published SIPRI list is occupied by China (5.9% in global exports), France is in fourth place (5.6%) and Germany rounds out the top five (4.7%).
Exports from these five countries combined accounted for almost 74% of the global total from 2011 to 2015, as in the previous five-year period.
Overall, international supplies of major conventional weapons increased by 14% from 2011 to 2015 compared to the previous five-year period.
Where were the weapons sent?
According to SIPRI, the top ten largest arms importers over the past five years included six countries in Asia and Oceania - India, China, Australia, Pakistan, Vietnam and South Korea.
"China continues to expand its military capabilities by importing and producing domestic weapons", said SIPRI researcher Simon Wezeman, commenting on the published data. According to him, "China's neighboring countries - India, Vietnam and Japan - have also significantly strengthened their armed forces."
The top five largest arms recipients, as according to the previous five-year plan, are India (14% in the share of world imports), followed by Saudi Arabia (7.0%), China (4.7%), and the United Arab Emirates (4.6 %) and rounds out the top five with Australia (3.6%).
In general, these five countries accounted for 34% of the total arms imports.
The Arms Transfers Database includes available information on all international transfers of major conventional weapons, including sales, gifts, and licensed production. The data reflects supply volumes without taking into account the financial value of transactions.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SIPRI was founded in 1966 and is an independent think tank dedicated to research on conflict, arms, arms control and disarmament.
Belarus took 18th place in the top 25 largest exporters of major types of weapons. This is stated in the report of the Stockholm international institute problems of the world SIPRI.
The report analyzed data from 2012 to 2016. The leaders of the ranking are the USA and Russia. The United States exported weapons worth $47.2 billion, Russia - $33.2 billion. The top five is completed by China, France and Germany, which have sold weapons worth $8.8, 8.6 and 7.9 billion over the past 5 years. Neighboring Ukraine entered the Top 10 exporters, selling $3.7 billion worth of weapons.
Belarus is in 18th place, having exported $625 million worth of weapons during the specified period. China spent the largest amount on Belarusian weapons - $170 million, followed by Vietnam - $150 million, and Sudan - $113 million.
Top 25 countries in the world for arms exports 
Structure of Belarusian arms exports by country Most of the funds were raised from the sale of air aircraft- $312 million and air defense systems - 195 million. The third place in terms of profitability is the sale of armored combat vehicles - 96 million.
Structure of Belarusian arms exports by type Last year there were two large arms deliveries: to Myanmar and Vietnam. The report states that the Myanmar Ministry of Defense spent $51 million on Belarusian weapons. More likely, we're talking about on the purchase of the Kvadrat-M anti-aircraft missile system, developed by the Belarusian enterprise OJSC ALEVKURP.
SAM "Kvadrat-M", Myanmar. Photo: defense-blog.com The air defense systems were present during the military parade. Myanmar became the first recipient of the Kvadrat-M complexes modernized by Belarusian specialists.
S-125−2TM "Pechora-2TM". Photo: viethaingoai.net Vietnam is also a traditional buyer of Belarusian air defense systems. For example, back in 2015, the Vietnamese Air Defense Forces and Air Force successfully tested three S-125−2TM Pechora-2TM complexes modernized by the Belarusian company Tetrahedr. All three S-125−2TM Pechora-2TM air defense systems successfully hit 100% of targets.
If we talk about the import of weapons to our country, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense purchased the most military equipment from Russia - for the entire period, costs amounted to $475 million.
We have already written about the supply of the latest Mi-8MTV-5, Yak-130 combat training aircraft, armored personnel carriers (almost 900 thousand dollars per unit) and other military equipment.
The report also mentions supplies from Ukraine worth $10 million and from China worth $2 million.
What is SIPRI and how is the rating calculated?
The Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) maintains databases of arms transfers around the world. Information on the sale of weapons is included in the database only if the fact of delivery is reliable. SIPRI is funded by the Swedish government and receives grants from other sources.
Since 1969, the institute has published the SIPRI Yearbook (in Russian, the publication is published jointly with the Institute of World Economy and international relations RAS). The publication provides an overview of the global arms market, the disarmament process and the international security situation based on data from open sources.
The Stockholm Institute also ranks the world's top 100 arms manufacturers. To calculate a manufacturer's place in the ranking, conventional units are used - an indicator indicator expressed in US dollars and 1990 prices. Thus, according to the researchers, it is possible to derive comparable indicators for a long period.
10. Netherlands
The Netherlands closes the top ten with a market share of 2%.
The main buyers of weapons from the Netherlands are countries such as Egypt, India, and Pakistan.
It is worth noting that for last years The Netherlands is losing its position in the arms market. If in 2008 the country was among the top 5 largest arms exporters in the world, now it has dropped to 10th place.
9. Ukraine
Market share: 2.6%
The main recipients of Ukrainian weapons are countries such as Nigeria, Thailand, Croatia, China and Algeria.
Among the weapons are T-72 battle tanks, armored personnel carriers BTR-4EN, BTR-3E1 and others.
As a result, Ukraine became the ninth largest arms supplier in the world.
8. Italy
Market share: 2.7%
Italy is one of the world and European leaders in arms exports.
7. Spain
Market share: 3.5%
The main recipients of Spanish weapons also became the countries of the Middle East - Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, as well as Australia.
6. UK
Market share: 4.5%
Great Britain took sixth place in the ranking, becoming one of the largest arms exporters to Europe. The main direction of British arms exports has become the Middle East - a region in which military operations are constantly taking place and, accordingly, there is a constant need for arms supplies.
5. Germany
Market share: 4.7%
Germany dropped to fifth place with a market share of 4.7%.
For the period from 2011 to 2015. Germany's arms exports have halved.
In Europe as a whole, imports fell by 41% between 2006 and 2010 and between 2011 and 2015.
4. France
Market share: 5.6%
France, having moved into fourth place, reduced arms supplies by 9.8%.
During 2015, France signed several major arms contracts, including the first two contracts for the supply of the Rafale military aircraft.
3. China
Market share: 5.9%
Chinese arms exports grew by 88% and took third place in the market.
“China continues to expand its military capabilities through both arms imports and domestic production,” said Simon Wezeman, senior researcher at the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.
At the same time, China also entered the top 5 leaders among arms importing countries. The country ranks third in this ranking, behind only India and Saudi Arabia.
2. Russia
Market share: 25%
Russia took second place among arms exporting countries.
Compared to 2006-2010 supplies of Russian military equipment increased by 28%.
However, SIPRI points out that in 2014 and 2015. exports were significantly lower than in 2011-2013 and were at the levels of the previous five-year plan.
In 2011-2015 Moscow supplied weapons to 50 countries, as well as to insurgents in Ukraine, notes the Stockholm Peace Research Institute.
The largest buyer of Russian weapons was India with 39% of the volume of weapons sold by Russia, second and third places are shared by China and Vietnam - 11% each, Vedomosti notes.
1. USA
Market share: 33%
The United States, with a 33% share of the arms market, remains the main arms exporter based on the results of 2011-2015, having increased its share during this period by 27%.
“As tensions rise and regional conflicts escalate, the US maintains its leading position as an arms exporter, far outpacing its competitors,” says Aude Fleurant, director of the Military Expenditure Program at SIPRI (Arms and Military Expenditure Programme).
“Over the past five years, the United States has sold or transferred weapons to at least 96 countries, and the US defense industry has numerous export orders, including the delivery of 611 F-35 military aircraft to nine countries,” he notes.
