Arms sales drop for first time since 1990s

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http://www.aljazeera.com/business/2013/02/201321811139502626.html



Austerity measures, the end of the Iraq war, and the troop pullout in Afghanistan pushed down sales

Arms sales drop for first time since 1990s
Last Modified: 18 Feb 2013 12:27

The world's largest arms manufacturers are expanding their cybersecurity businesses as sales of traditional weapons slump for the first time in decades.

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Of the firms monitored by the group in 2011, 74 were based in the US and western Europe, generating 90 percent of the sales, roughly unchanged from 2010.

The top spots were little changed from 2010 with US firm Lockheed Martin still the biggest, with $36.3bn in sales. Boeing placed second, with $31.8bn in sales, followed by British BAE Systems with $29.1bn.

SIPRI said a strong recent trend among big arms makers was diversification into cyber-security - protecting computers and networks against intrusions and attacks - as public spending in this area remained a privileged area in Western countries despite budget austerity.