A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military or intelligence department of a government. Products typically include military or civilian aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems, while services can include logistics, technical support and training, communications support, and engineering support in cooperation with the government.
Security contractors do not generally provide direct support of military operations. Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, military contractors engaged in direct support of military operations may be legitimate targets of military interrogation.
In the United States, defense contracting has taken an increasingly larger role. In 2009, the Department of Defense spent nearly $316 billion on contracts.Singer, Peter W. "The Regulation of New Warfare", The Brookings Institution, February 2010. Contractors have assumed a much larger on-the-ground presence during American conflicts: during the 1991 Gulf War the ratio of uniformed military to contractors was about 50 to 1, while during the first four years of the Iraq War the U.S. hired over 190,000 contractors, surpassing the total American military presence even during the 2007 Iraq surge and 23 times greater than other allied military personnel numbers. In Afghanistan, the presence of almost 100,000 contractors has resulted in a near 1-to-1 ratio with military personnel. The surge in spending on defense services contractors that began in 2001 came to a halt in 2009, leading to the Better Buying Power initiative of 2010.Fryer-Biggs, Zachary. Defense News, 9 September 2012."Better Buying Power (Public Site)." The Costs of War Project found that from 2020–2024 $2.4 trillion of the $4.4 trillion (approximately 54%) of the Pentagon’s discretionary spending went to defense contractors. During that period over twice as much money was spent with five companies as on diplomacy and international assistance. In 2024, the industry saw record revenues.
List of companies A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military or intelligence department of a government. Products typically include military or civilian aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems, while services can include intelligence information, logistics, technical support and training, communications support, and engineering support in cooperation with the government.
Following is an incomplete list of defense contractors, based only on a list of the world's largest arms manufacturers and other military service companies, along with their countries of origin, published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute for 2024. The numbers are in millions of US dollars. RankCountryCompany nameRevenue from defense (US$ millions)Total revenue(US$ millions)% of total revenuefrom defense1Lockheed Martin64,65071,04091.02RTX Corporation43,60080,74054.03Northrop Grumman37,85041,03092.24BAE Systems33,79035,40095.45General Dynamics33,63047,72070.46Boeing30,55066,52045.97Rostec27,12038,89069.78Aviation Industry Corporation of China20,32081,29025.09China Electronics Technology Group Corporation18,92055,23034.310L3Harris16,21021,33076.011Norinco13,97061,58022.712Leonardo13,83019,21072.013Airbus13,37074,89017.914China State Shipbuilding Corporation12,33049,63024.815Thales Group11,80022,26053.016Huntington Ingalls Industries10,28011,54089.117China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation10,23034,10030.018Leidos9,37016,66056.219Amentum8,33013,86060.120Rheinmetall8,24010,55078.1 21Hanwha Group7,97064,10012.422Booz Allen Hamilton7,81011,98065.223Rolls-Royce Holdings7,20022,81031.624CACI6,5108,63075.425Elbit Systems6,2806,83091.926Aero Engine Corporation of China6,26027 Honeywell5,78038,50015.828Saab AB5,5506,03092.029Safran5,32029,55018.030MBDA5,2605,31099.131Israel Aerospace Industries5,1906,11084.932Mitsubishi Heavy Industries5,03033,19015.233General Electric4,89038,70012.634Rafael Advanced Defense Systems4,7004,80097.935KBR4,6807,74060.436Naval Group4,6604,71098.937EDGE Group4,6604,90095.138China South Industries Group4,58044,68010.339Babcock International Group4,5706,17074.140Dassault Aviation4,2906,74063.641United Shipbuilding Corporation4,1104,96082.942KNDS4,1104,110100.043Science Applications International Corporation3,8907,48052.044Hindustan Aeronautics3,8104,01095.045Vectrus3,7604,32087.046Czechoslovak Group3,6304,34083.647ASELSAN3,4703,66094.848Textron3,29013,70024.049TransDigm Group3,1807,94040.150National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology3,1103,19097.4
See also Arms industry Government contractor List of private military companies List of United States defense contractors Military–industrial complex Private intelligence agency Private military company
References
External links The British Library - finding information on the defence industry Private Security Transnational Enterprises in Colombia Human Rights First; Private Security Contractors at War: Ending the Culture of Impunity (2008) Defense Contracting Jobseekers FAQ
ru:Список 100 крупнейших мировых компаний ВПК (2013)