La industria armamentística es un negocio global que abarca la fabricación de armas, de tecnología y equipos militares. Incluye la industria comercial dedicada a la investigación, desarrollo, producción y servicio de material equipos e instalaciones militares. Las empresas productoras de armas, también conocidas como contratistas de defensa o de la industria militar, producen armas principalmente para las fuerzas armadas de los estados. Departamentos de gobierno también operan en la industria de las armas, la compra y venta de armas, municiones y otros artículos militares. Los productos incluyen armas de fuego, municiones, misiles, aviones militares, vehículos militares, barcos, sistemas electrónicos, entre otros. La industria de armas también lleva a cabo proyectos de investigación y desarrollo. Se estima que cada año se producen más de 1,5 billones de dólares en gastos militares en todo el mundo (2,7% del PIB mundial), lo que representa un descenso de 1990, cuando los gastos militares hicieron un 4% del PIB mundial. Parte va a la adquisición de equipo y servicios militares de la industria militar. Las ventas de armas totales de las 100 empresas productoras más grandes del mundo ascendieron a un estimado de 315 mil millones de dólares en 2006. En 2004, más de $ 30 mil millones se gastaron en el comercio internacional de armas (una cifra que excluye las ventas interiores de armas). El comercio de armas también ha sido uno de los sectores afectados por la crisis del crédito, con un valor total de la transacción en el mercado de reducir a la mitad de EE.UU. $ 32.9bn a EE.UU. $ 14.3bn en 2008. [4] Muchos países industrializados tienen una industria nacional de armas para abastecer su propia las fuerzas militares. Algunos países también tienen un comercio nacional legal o ilegal sustancial de armas para su uso por los ciudadanos. El comercio ilegal de armas pequeñas es frecuente en muchos países y regiones afectados por la inestabilidad política.

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The arms industry, also known as the defense industry or the arms trade, is a global business responsible for the manufacturing and sales of weapons and military technology and equipment. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and servicing of military material, equipment, and facilities. Arms-producing companies, also referred to as arms dealers, defense contractors, or as the military industry, produce arms mainly for the armed forces of states. Departments of government also operate in the arms industry, buying and selling weapons, munitions and other military items. Products include guns, artillery, ammunition, missiles, military aircraft, military vehicles, ships, electronic systems, night vision devices, holographic weapon sights, laser rangefinders, laser sights, hand grenades, landmines and more. The arms industry also provides other logistical and operational support. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated in 2012 that 2012 military expenditures were roughly 1.8 trillion United States dollars. This represents a relative decline from 1990 when military expenditures made up 4% of world GDP. Part of the money goes to the procurement of military hardware and services from the military industry. The combined arms sales of the top 100 largest arms-producing companies amounted to an estimated $395 billion in 2012 according to SIPRI. In 2004 over $30 billion were spent in the international arms trade (a figure that excludes domestic sales of arms). According to SIPRI, the volume of international transfers of major weapons in 2010–14 was 16 per cent higher than in 2005–2009. The five biggest exporters in 2010–2014 were the United States, Russia, China, Germany and France, and the five biggest importers were India, Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan. Many industrialized countries have a domestic arms-industry to supply their own military forces. Some countries also have a substantial legal or illegal domestic trade in weapons for use by its citizens. Illegal trade in small arms occurs in many countries and regions affected by political instability. The Small Arms Survey estimates that 875 million small arms circulate worldwide, produced by more than 1,000 companies from nearly 100 countries. Contracts to supply a given country's military are awarded by governments, making arms contracts of substantial political importance. The link between politics and the arms trade can result in the development of what U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower described as a military-industrial complex, where the armed forces, commerce, and politics become closely linked, similarly to the European defence procurement. Various corporations, some publicly held, others private, bid for these contracts, which are often worth many billions of dollars. Sometimes, as with the contract for the international Joint Strike Fighter, a competitive tendering process takes place, with the decision made on the merits of the designs submitted by the companies involved. Other times, no bidding or competition takes place.

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