International arms trade

In Global Exports, Smaller Nations Seek Edge

Widespread growth in global arms exports may point to heightened competition for sales in the future as more countries develop increasingly sophisticated defense industries, analysts said.

The US and Russia remain the dominant sellers, accounting for more than half of global sales between 2010 and 2014, according to figures released last week by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). But other countries are driving the overall growth in arms exports, which grew by 16 percent globally compared with the period between 2005 and 2009, analysts said.