Psst- wanna buy some arms?
Thread Starter
Psst- wanna buy some arms?
Economist article on new suppliers.The world’s five biggest arms-sellers (America, Russia, France, China and Germany) account for more than three-quarters of exports. But up-and-coming weapons producers are giving the old guard a run for their money. They are making the most of opportunities created by shifting geopolitics. And they are benefiting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea could provide a wider range of stuff. As well as drones and missiles such as the KN-23, which is almost a replica of the Russian Iskander ballistic missile, it could offer self-propelled howitzers and multi-launch rocket systems. According to sources in American intelligence, North Korea has been delivering 152mm shells and Katyusha-type rockets to Russia for the best part of a year. Russia is shopping in Pyongyang and Tehran because both regimes are already so heavily targeted by international sanctions that they have nothing to lose and much to gain by doing business with Mr Putin’s government. They are not so much an “axis of evil” as a marketplace of pariahs.
South Korea’s arms exporters were cleaning up even before the conflict. In the five years to 2022 the country rose to ninth place in a ranking of weapons-sellers compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),. The government aspires to make South Korea the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027. Last year it sold arms worth $17bn, more than twice as much as in 2021. The size and scope of the agreements South Korea has reached with Poland, are jaw-dropping. The deal includes 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks, 180 of them delivered rapidly from the army’s own inventory and 820 to be made under licence in Poland. That is more tanks than are operating in the armies of Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined. It also includes 672 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers; 288 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers; and 48 Golden Eagle FA-50s, a cut-price fourth-generation fighter jet. Speedy delivery is possible because the South Koreans, facing a major threat across their northern border, run hot production lines that can also ramp up quickly.
If South Korea is the leader among emerging arms exporters, second place goes to Turkey. SIPRI thinks that between 2018 and 2022 Turkey’s weapons exports increased by 69% compared with the previous five-year period, and that its share of the global arms market doubled. he target for this year is $6bn. the last of four corvettes which Turkey has sold to the Pakistan navy was launched last month. More sales to other countries are likely, both because Turkey’s ships are competitively priced and because Turkey has few qualms about who it will sell to. Yet Turkey’s export charge is led by armed drones. On July 18th Turkey signed a $3bn agreement with Saudi Arabia to supply the Akinci UCAV. It was made by Baykar, which also produces the Bayraktar TB2. More than 20 countries lined up to buy it because it was cheaper and more readily available than the American alternative, and more reliable than the Chinese UCAVs that had previously dominated the non-Western market.
Turkey’s ambitions are shown by its new navy flagship, the Anadolu, is a 25,000-tonne amphibious assault ship and light aircraft-carrier that will carry Bayraktar UCAVs. At least one Gulf country is said to be in talks to buy a similar ship. Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN, in which Pakistan and Azerbaijan are partners, should fly before the end of the year. Developed with help from Britain’s BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, the KAAN could be seen as a response to Turkey’s ejection from the F-35 partner programme (as punishment for buying the S-400). Turkey will market the plane to anyone America will not sell F-35s to—or who balks at the conditions. Once again, Gulf countries may be first in line.
South Korea and Turkey have benefited from the woes of their main competitors. Russia’s arms exports between 2018 and 2022 were 31% lower than in the preceding five-year period, India, previously Russia’s biggest customer, cut its purchases of Russian arms by 37% in the 2018-22 period. Many of India’s 272 Su-30MKIs, the backbone of its air force, are kaput because Russia cannot supply parts. And sanctions on Russia are limiting trade in things such as microchips, ball-bearings, machine tools and optical systems, which will hinder Russia’s ability to sell combat aircraft, attack helicopters and other lethal contraptions. T
Damp squibs
As for China, over half its arms exports in the 2018-22 period went to just one country, Pakistan, which it sees as an ally against India. Nearly 80% of Pakistan’s major weapons needs are met by China, according to SIPRI. But China’s arms industry also has its problems. One challenge is that although China set out to dominate the military drone market a decade ago, its customers got fed up with poor quality and even worse support, opening a door for Turkey. A second is that, with the exception of a putative submarine deal with Thailand and a package of weapons for Myanmar, countries in South-East Asia are tired of Chinese bullying and “won’t touch them”, says Mr Wezeman.
Despite much effort, India’s growth as an arms exporter has been glacial. Investment is wastefully channelled through state-owned bodies. Red tape suffocates initiative. Projects such as the Tejas light combat aircraft have taken decades to reach production and remain fraught with problems. The Dhruv light helicopter, launched in 2002, has crashed dozens of times. After decades in development, the Arjun Mk-2 tank turned out to be too heavy for deployment across the border with Pakistan. Locally made kit is often rejected by India’s own armed forces. “If they don’t want it, exporting it becomes impossible,” says Mr Wezeman. South Korea and Turkey show how countries can build lucrative arms businesses that underpin domestic security. India, for all its bombast, is a lesson in how not to do it. ■
North Korea could provide a wider range of stuff. As well as drones and missiles such as the KN-23, which is almost a replica of the Russian Iskander ballistic missile, it could offer self-propelled howitzers and multi-launch rocket systems. According to sources in American intelligence, North Korea has been delivering 152mm shells and Katyusha-type rockets to Russia for the best part of a year. Russia is shopping in Pyongyang and Tehran because both regimes are already so heavily targeted by international sanctions that they have nothing to lose and much to gain by doing business with Mr Putin’s government. They are not so much an “axis of evil” as a marketplace of pariahs.
South Korea’s arms exporters were cleaning up even before the conflict. In the five years to 2022 the country rose to ninth place in a ranking of weapons-sellers compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),. The government aspires to make South Korea the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027. Last year it sold arms worth $17bn, more than twice as much as in 2021. The size and scope of the agreements South Korea has reached with Poland, are jaw-dropping. The deal includes 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks, 180 of them delivered rapidly from the army’s own inventory and 820 to be made under licence in Poland. That is more tanks than are operating in the armies of Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined. It also includes 672 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers; 288 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers; and 48 Golden Eagle FA-50s, a cut-price fourth-generation fighter jet. Speedy delivery is possible because the South Koreans, facing a major threat across their northern border, run hot production lines that can also ramp up quickly.
If South Korea is the leader among emerging arms exporters, second place goes to Turkey. SIPRI thinks that between 2018 and 2022 Turkey’s weapons exports increased by 69% compared with the previous five-year period, and that its share of the global arms market doubled. he target for this year is $6bn. the last of four corvettes which Turkey has sold to the Pakistan navy was launched last month. More sales to other countries are likely, both because Turkey’s ships are competitively priced and because Turkey has few qualms about who it will sell to. Yet Turkey’s export charge is led by armed drones. On July 18th Turkey signed a $3bn agreement with Saudi Arabia to supply the Akinci UCAV. It was made by Baykar, which also produces the Bayraktar TB2. More than 20 countries lined up to buy it because it was cheaper and more readily available than the American alternative, and more reliable than the Chinese UCAVs that had previously dominated the non-Western market.
Turkey’s ambitions are shown by its new navy flagship, the Anadolu, is a 25,000-tonne amphibious assault ship and light aircraft-carrier that will carry Bayraktar UCAVs. At least one Gulf country is said to be in talks to buy a similar ship. Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN, in which Pakistan and Azerbaijan are partners, should fly before the end of the year. Developed with help from Britain’s BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, the KAAN could be seen as a response to Turkey’s ejection from the F-35 partner programme (as punishment for buying the S-400). Turkey will market the plane to anyone America will not sell F-35s to—or who balks at the conditions. Once again, Gulf countries may be first in line.
South Korea and Turkey have benefited from the woes of their main competitors. Russia’s arms exports between 2018 and 2022 were 31% lower than in the preceding five-year period, India, previously Russia’s biggest customer, cut its purchases of Russian arms by 37% in the 2018-22 period. Many of India’s 272 Su-30MKIs, the backbone of its air force, are kaput because Russia cannot supply parts. And sanctions on Russia are limiting trade in things such as microchips, ball-bearings, machine tools and optical systems, which will hinder Russia’s ability to sell combat aircraft, attack helicopters and other lethal contraptions. T
Damp squibs
As for China, over half its arms exports in the 2018-22 period went to just one country, Pakistan, which it sees as an ally against India. Nearly 80% of Pakistan’s major weapons needs are met by China, according to SIPRI. But China’s arms industry also has its problems. One challenge is that although China set out to dominate the military drone market a decade ago, its customers got fed up with poor quality and even worse support, opening a door for Turkey. A second is that, with the exception of a putative submarine deal with Thailand and a package of weapons for Myanmar, countries in South-East Asia are tired of Chinese bullying and “won’t touch them”, says Mr Wezeman.
Despite much effort, India’s growth as an arms exporter has been glacial. Investment is wastefully channelled through state-owned bodies. Red tape suffocates initiative. Projects such as the Tejas light combat aircraft have taken decades to reach production and remain fraught with problems. The Dhruv light helicopter, launched in 2002, has crashed dozens of times. After decades in development, the Arjun Mk-2 tank turned out to be too heavy for deployment across the border with Pakistan. Locally made kit is often rejected by India’s own armed forces. “If they don’t want it, exporting it becomes impossible,” says Mr Wezeman. South Korea and Turkey show how countries can build lucrative arms businesses that underpin domestic security. India, for all its bombast, is a lesson in how not to do it. ■
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Economist article on new suppliers.The world’s five biggest arms-sellers (America, Russia, France, China and Germany) account for more than three-quarters of exports. But up-and-coming weapons producers are giving the old guard a run for their money. They are making the most of opportunities created by shifting geopolitics. And they are benefiting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea could provide a wider range of stuff. As well as drones and missiles such as the KN-23, which is almost a replica of the Russian Iskander ballistic missile, it could offer self-propelled howitzers and multi-launch rocket systems. According to sources in American intelligence, North Korea has been delivering 152mm shells and Katyusha-type rockets to Russia for the best part of a year. Russia is shopping in Pyongyang and Tehran because both regimes are already so heavily targeted by international sanctions that they have nothing to lose and much to gain by doing business with Mr Putin’s government. They are not so much an “axis of evil” as a marketplace of pariahs.
South Korea’s arms exporters were cleaning up even before the conflict. In the five years to 2022 the country rose to ninth place in a ranking of weapons-sellers compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),. The government aspires to make South Korea the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027. Last year it sold arms worth $17bn, more than twice as much as in 2021. The size and scope of the agreements South Korea has reached with Poland, are jaw-dropping. The deal includes 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks, 180 of them delivered rapidly from the army’s own inventory and 820 to be made under licence in Poland. That is more tanks than are operating in the armies of Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined. It also includes 672 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers; 288 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers; and 48 Golden Eagle FA-50s, a cut-price fourth-generation fighter jet. Speedy delivery is possible because the South Koreans, facing a major threat across their northern border, run hot production lines that can also ramp up quickly.
If South Korea is the leader among emerging arms exporters, second place goes to Turkey. SIPRI thinks that between 2018 and 2022 Turkey’s weapons exports increased by 69% compared with the previous five-year period, and that its share of the global arms market doubled. he target for this year is $6bn. the last of four corvettes which Turkey has sold to the Pakistan navy was launched last month. More sales to other countries are likely, both because Turkey’s ships are competitively priced and because Turkey has few qualms about who it will sell to. Yet Turkey’s export charge is led by armed drones. On July 18th Turkey signed a $3bn agreement with Saudi Arabia to supply the Akinci UCAV. It was made by Baykar, which also produces the Bayraktar TB2. More than 20 countries lined up to buy it because it was cheaper and more readily available than the American alternative, and more reliable than the Chinese UCAVs that had previously dominated the non-Western market.
Turkey’s ambitions are shown by its new navy flagship, the Anadolu, is a 25,000-tonne amphibious assault ship and light aircraft-carrier that will carry Bayraktar UCAVs. At least one Gulf country is said to be in talks to buy a similar ship. Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN, in which Pakistan and Azerbaijan are partners, should fly before the end of the year. Developed with help from Britain’s BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, the KAAN could be seen as a response to Turkey’s ejection from the F-35 partner programme (as punishment for buying the S-400). Turkey will market the plane to anyone America will not sell F-35s to—or who balks at the conditions. Once again, Gulf countries may be first in line.
South Korea and Turkey have benefited from the woes of their main competitors. Russia’s arms exports between 2018 and 2022 were 31% lower than in the preceding five-year period, India, previously Russia’s biggest customer, cut its purchases of Russian arms by 37% in the 2018-22 period. Many of India’s 272 Su-30MKIs, the backbone of its air force, are kaput because Russia cannot supply parts. And sanctions on Russia are limiting trade in things such as microchips, ball-bearings, machine tools and optical systems, which will hinder Russia’s ability to sell combat aircraft, attack helicopters and other lethal contraptions. T
Damp squibs
As for China, over half its arms exports in the 2018-22 period went to just one country, Pakistan, which it sees as an ally against India. Nearly 80% of Pakistan’s major weapons needs are met by China, according to SIPRI. But China’s arms industry also has its problems. One challenge is that although China set out to dominate the military drone market a decade ago, its customers got fed up with poor quality and even worse support, opening a door for Turkey. A second is that, with the exception of a putative submarine deal with Thailand and a package of weapons for Myanmar, countries in South-East Asia are tired of Chinese bullying and “won’t touch them”, says Mr Wezeman.
Despite much effort, India’s growth as an arms exporter has been glacial. Investment is wastefully channelled through state-owned bodies. Red tape suffocates initiative. Projects such as the Tejas light combat aircraft have taken decades to reach production and remain fraught with problems. The Dhruv light helicopter, launched in 2002, has crashed dozens of times. After decades in development, the Arjun Mk-2 tank turned out to be too heavy for deployment across the border with Pakistan. Locally made kit is often rejected by India’s own armed forces. “If they don’t want it, exporting it becomes impossible,” says Mr Wezeman. South Korea and Turkey show how countries can build lucrative arms businesses that underpin domestic security. India, for all its bombast, is a lesson in how not to do it. ■
North Korea could provide a wider range of stuff. As well as drones and missiles such as the KN-23, which is almost a replica of the Russian Iskander ballistic missile, it could offer self-propelled howitzers and multi-launch rocket systems. According to sources in American intelligence, North Korea has been delivering 152mm shells and Katyusha-type rockets to Russia for the best part of a year. Russia is shopping in Pyongyang and Tehran because both regimes are already so heavily targeted by international sanctions that they have nothing to lose and much to gain by doing business with Mr Putin’s government. They are not so much an “axis of evil” as a marketplace of pariahs.
South Korea’s arms exporters were cleaning up even before the conflict. In the five years to 2022 the country rose to ninth place in a ranking of weapons-sellers compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),. The government aspires to make South Korea the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027. Last year it sold arms worth $17bn, more than twice as much as in 2021. The size and scope of the agreements South Korea has reached with Poland, are jaw-dropping. The deal includes 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks, 180 of them delivered rapidly from the army’s own inventory and 820 to be made under licence in Poland. That is more tanks than are operating in the armies of Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined. It also includes 672 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers; 288 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers; and 48 Golden Eagle FA-50s, a cut-price fourth-generation fighter jet. Speedy delivery is possible because the South Koreans, facing a major threat across their northern border, run hot production lines that can also ramp up quickly.
If South Korea is the leader among emerging arms exporters, second place goes to Turkey. SIPRI thinks that between 2018 and 2022 Turkey’s weapons exports increased by 69% compared with the previous five-year period, and that its share of the global arms market doubled. he target for this year is $6bn. the last of four corvettes which Turkey has sold to the Pakistan navy was launched last month. More sales to other countries are likely, both because Turkey’s ships are competitively priced and because Turkey has few qualms about who it will sell to. Yet Turkey’s export charge is led by armed drones. On July 18th Turkey signed a $3bn agreement with Saudi Arabia to supply the Akinci UCAV. It was made by Baykar, which also produces the Bayraktar TB2. More than 20 countries lined up to buy it because it was cheaper and more readily available than the American alternative, and more reliable than the Chinese UCAVs that had previously dominated the non-Western market.
Turkey’s ambitions are shown by its new navy flagship, the Anadolu, is a 25,000-tonne amphibious assault ship and light aircraft-carrier that will carry Bayraktar UCAVs. At least one Gulf country is said to be in talks to buy a similar ship. Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN, in which Pakistan and Azerbaijan are partners, should fly before the end of the year. Developed with help from Britain’s BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, the KAAN could be seen as a response to Turkey’s ejection from the F-35 partner programme (as punishment for buying the S-400). Turkey will market the plane to anyone America will not sell F-35s to—or who balks at the conditions. Once again, Gulf countries may be first in line.
South Korea and Turkey have benefited from the woes of their main competitors. Russia’s arms exports between 2018 and 2022 were 31% lower than in the preceding five-year period, India, previously Russia’s biggest customer, cut its purchases of Russian arms by 37% in the 2018-22 period. Many of India’s 272 Su-30MKIs, the backbone of its air force, are kaput because Russia cannot supply parts. And sanctions on Russia are limiting trade in things such as microchips, ball-bearings, machine tools and optical systems, which will hinder Russia’s ability to sell combat aircraft, attack helicopters and other lethal contraptions. T
Damp squibs
As for China, over half its arms exports in the 2018-22 period went to just one country, Pakistan, which it sees as an ally against India. Nearly 80% of Pakistan’s major weapons needs are met by China, according to SIPRI. But China’s arms industry also has its problems. One challenge is that although China set out to dominate the military drone market a decade ago, its customers got fed up with poor quality and even worse support, opening a door for Turkey. A second is that, with the exception of a putative submarine deal with Thailand and a package of weapons for Myanmar, countries in South-East Asia are tired of Chinese bullying and “won’t touch them”, says Mr Wezeman.
Despite much effort, India’s growth as an arms exporter has been glacial. Investment is wastefully channelled through state-owned bodies. Red tape suffocates initiative. Projects such as the Tejas light combat aircraft have taken decades to reach production and remain fraught with problems. The Dhruv light helicopter, launched in 2002, has crashed dozens of times. After decades in development, the Arjun Mk-2 tank turned out to be too heavy for deployment across the border with Pakistan. Locally made kit is often rejected by India’s own armed forces. “If they don’t want it, exporting it becomes impossible,” says Mr Wezeman. South Korea and Turkey show how countries can build lucrative arms businesses that underpin domestic security. India, for all its bombast, is a lesson in how not to do it. ■
Thread Starter
"Bit surprised that the UK is not among the world top 5 arms exporters."
from the same article - they say its SIPRI numbers - SLXOft is quoting the 2022 ones - Economist is using two 4 year windows
I guess we don't have a lot to sell these days
from the same article - they say its SIPRI numbers - SLXOft is quoting the 2022 ones - Economist is using two 4 year windows
I guess we don't have a lot to sell these days
France and Italy were growing quite a bit.
Thread Starter
Thread Starter
Sorry - I meant that the increase for Italy & France was their EXPORTS of ships and aircraft
