Two Turkish arms makers make it into top 100 list: SIPRI

Two Turkish arms manufacturers have ranked in the top 100 for total 2014 arms sales, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Dec. 14. Russian arms sales also soared, though overall arms sales declined over the course of the year.

Turkey's ASELSAN and the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) were in the top 100, with ASELSAN increasing its sales by 5.6 percent in 2014 compared to 2013 but dropping from 66th to 73rd. TAI increased its sales by 15.1 percent and entered the top 100 at 89. 

"Turkey is seeking more self-sufficiency for its arms supplies and this, coupled with an aggressive export drive, has contributed to the rapid growth in revenue for ASELSAN and TAI," said Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at SIPRI's Arms and Military Expenditure Program.

Since 2013 Turkey has been evaluated inside the "emerging producers" category, which tracks the evolution of companies based in countries that have stated goals of military industrialization, such as Brazil, India and South Korea. 

The combined sales of companies in these countries amounted to 3.7 percent of the SIPRI top 100, while their revenue rose 5.1 percent between 2013 and 2014. 

Meanwhile, arms manufacturers in North America and Western Europe dominated international arms sales in 2014, with 80 percent of the total market share, though their market share dropped while that of Russian and Asian companies rose.

Total turnover for the 100 biggest arms and military services companies declined for the fourth year in a row, falling by 1.5 percent from 2013 to stand at $401 billion (364 billion euros).

The top company was U.S.-based Lockheed Martin, which saw sales grow by 3.9 percent to $37.5 billion for 2014...