Arms Transfers: The United States and Russia, the largest trading partners
The rise in conflicts around the world, including Ukraine and the Middle East, has shifted global focus back to arms transfers between countries.
For decades, countries that are proficient in weapons manufacturing have been supplying weapons to other countries that need them. Dominating these trades are the United States and Russia, which accounted for 57 percent of all international arms trade over the past decade.
So who are the largest importers of arms to these two countries, and what is the military value of these trades?
With the help of data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) arms transfer database, Ruben Berge Mathisen’s infographic visualizes the top 50 largest U.S. and Russian companies by value over the past decade. arms-receiving countries.
Military valuation of weapons transfers
The military value of weapons is measured based on Trend-indicator Values (TIV). The valuation reflects the military capabilities of a particular project, not its financial value.
Each weapon that falls within the conventional definition of a primary weapon is assigned a TIV. The following are the most common weapons and components assigned to TIV:
● Aircraft and armored vehicles
● Artillery (caliber 100mm)
● Sensors and missiles, large anti-aircraft guns, torpedoes and bombs
● 100mm caliber fire Gunboat (100 tons displacement)
● Reconnaissance Satellite and Aerial Refueling System
TIV Rather than focusing on budgets, it is easier to measure trends in the flow of weapons between specific countries and regions over time, essentially creating a price index of military capabilities.
The largest recipient of U.S. arms
The United States is the world's largest arms exporter, exporting 35 percent of global arms sales to about 130 countries over the past decade.
Recently, the largest market for U.S. arms sales is in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the largest arms recipient. Over the past decade, the country purchased 24 percent of all U.S. arms exports, with parts and components worth more than 18 billion TIVs.
Here are the top 10 arms recipients from the United States:
The United States remains the world's largest arms exporter, but military equipment sales to foreign countries fell 21% from the previous fiscal year, down from $175 billion in 2020 $138 billion by 2021.
Biggest recipient of Russian weapons
Russia is the world's second-largest arms dealer, accounting for 22% of global arms exports between 2011 and 2021.
On the TIV front, India remains the largest importer of Russian arms. The reason why India relies on Russian-made weapons is, on the one hand, to calm China's military self-confidence, and on the other hand, small-scale conflicts continue to occur on the Pakistan border.
But while India's prime minister continues to support Russia and its president, even after Russia went to war with Ukraine, some reports indicate that India has been looking elsewhere for weapons over the past few years.
Let’s take a look at some of the world’s other largest importers of Russian arms:
One important relationship is Russia’s supply of weapons to pro-Russian Ukrainian rebels. Since 2014, Russia has supplied these rebels with weapons and training as they fight. These include a variety of weapons, from pistols and mines to tanks and missile launchers.
The impact of the war in Ukraine on the arms trade
The international arms trade has fallen by 4.6% over the past five years, according to the latest data from SIPRI. Nonetheless, Europe has become a new hotspot for arms imports, with arms transfers increasing by 19% during the same period.Countries such as the UK, the Netherlands and Norway are the largest importers, and other countries may follow suit.
Experts say the craze is down to the breakdown in relations between Russia and Europe. Alarmed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European countries have been reassessing their defense budgets - Germany's recent €100 billion pledge to bolster its military is one example.
The largest arms transfer partners of the United States and Russia may change in the coming years. But where will the trend of arms transfers go?
