US, Russia account for half of global arms sales, says SIPRI

Russia and the United States dominated the international arms export market from 2005-09, although there was significant growth for other exporters, most notably France and Germany, according to figures collated by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The data – which was included in the SIPRI Fact Sheet 'Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2009' – showed that the US and Russia accounted for 30 and 23 per cent of exports respectively between 2005 and 2009.

The US delivered arms to 70 countries and to NATO during the period. Most exports went to Asia and Oceania, which together accounted for 39 per cent of US deliveries. This was closely followed by the Middle East with 36 per cent and Europe with 18 per cent. US sales were dominated by combat aircraft and associated weapons and components, SIPRI said, including 72 F-16E combat aircraft delivered to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 52 F-16I aircraft to Israel and 40 F-15Ks to South Korea.