42 US-based companies were among the top 100 arms manufacturers, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The 100 largest arms producers increased their turnover by 2.5% to $400 billion in 2017. Many of these dealers aren’t actually as well known for dealing arms as they are for other products, like air conditioners and cars.
While companies such as Mitsubishi and Rolls-Royce are well-known for producing everything from motorbikes to airplane engines, they’re not the only products the companies are manufacturing.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) most recent edition of its Arms Industry Database, includes a ranking of the top 100 companies involved in arms-production.
The ranking shows that 42 of the top 100 companies are US-based while this isn’t particularly shocking, it may come as a surprise that a number of the companies involved in arms-dealing are much better known for manufacturing other household appliances.
Here are 5 of the biggest tech companies you may not have known also manufacture arms.
- Fujitsu: Fujitsu’s positioning isn’t just down to the quietness of its air conditioners.
While, technically speaking, only a small portion of Fujitsu’s business is focused on arms, manufacturing weapons earned the giant $1.11 billion in 2017, making up 3% of its total turnover.
- Kawasaki: Though Kawasaki is renowned for producing motorcycles, it also sells ships and military aircraft.
Kawasaki’s sales in arms came to $2.14 million in 2017, making up 15.2% of its total turnover.
- Saab: The former Swedish car manufacturer Saab relies heavily on arms production.
Having earned the company $2.67 million, arms made up 83.9% of Saab’s $3.18 million turnover in 2017.
Since Saab’s automobile production ended in 2012, it has since depended on the Swedish state.
- Mitsubishi: Mitsubishi produces vehicles as well as household appliances, such as air conditioners.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Ltd is a division within the larger Mitsubishi group. The company invoice showed it had totted up $3.57 billion worth of arms sales over 2017, making up 9.7% of its total sales.
- Rolls-Royce: Rolls-Royce (not to be confused with the car manufacturer) is an engineering company that makes power systems for the aviation industry and more.
Placing 17th in the ranking of companies involved in arms sales, Rolls-Royce (the engineering company, not the car manufacturer) sold $4.42 billion worth of arms in 2017 – that represents 22.8% of its total turnover.
