The business of war is profitable. In 2011, the 100 largest contractors sold $410 billion in arms and military services. Just 10 of those companies sold over $208 billion.
These companies have benefited tremendously from the growth in military spending in the U.S., which by far has the largest military budget in the world. In 2000, the U.S. defense budget was approximately $312 billion. By 2011, the figure had grown to $712 billion. Arm sales grew alongside general defense spending growth. SIPRI noted that between 2002 and 2011, arms sales among the top 100 companies grew by 51%.
Here are the 10 companies that profit the most from war:
10. United Technologies (UTX)
Arm sales: $11.6 billion, total sales: $58.2 billionGross profit: $5.3 billion, total workforce: 199,900 United Technologies makes a wide range of arms — notably military helicopters, including the Black Hawk helicopter for the U.S. Army and the SeaHawk helicopter for the U.S. Navy.[logo]
