U.S. Companies Sold $247 Billion in Weapons Last Year

[The Straight Story]

U.S. Companies Sold $247 Billion in Weapons Last Year

Business was absolutely booming for the American arms industry during the Great Recession; in 2009 alone, U.S. defense companies sold nearly $247 billion in weapons worldwide. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has determined that 45 of the top 100 arms dealers in the world were U.S.-based, including seven of the top 10. American companies were responsible for 61.5% of the sales of the top 100.

The leading American sellers of military hardware were Lockheed Martin ($33.4 billion), Boeing ($32.3 billion), Northrop Grumman ($27 billion), General Dynamics ($25.6 billion), Raytheon ($23 billion), L-3 Communications ($13 billion) and United Technologies ($11.1 billion).

Worldwide, arms sales by companies totaled $401 billion in 2009, an increase of 8% over 2008.

http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/US_Companies_Sold_247_Billion_Dollars_in_Weapons_Last_Year_110224

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[pinboy3niner]

2. K&R

[social_critic]

3. Sounds like you''re touting their stocks

I wouldn't buy these stocks, they're like tobacco companies. Some of them are working real hard to build killer robots, call them Terminator prototypes. What are we going to do if we can't find our John Connor?

[PoliticAverse]

4. How much of that was subsidized by the taxpayer? n/t

[w8liftinglady]

5. which is why we will remain in a perpetual war.

[Gregorian]

6. This will slow down, or the human race won't survive.

[Hutzpa]

7. Thats just figures they can track to them

what about those that cannot be track to these companies?

[frylock]

8. peace sells..

but who's buying?