Last year, the United States’ arms exports to foreign countries took a major leap, increasing nearly 50% from $34.8 billion to $51.9 billion. One of the biggest sources of the increase in weapons exports is Indonesia, which is shoring up its defenses against a potential Chinese invasion. As the United States refocuses the attention of its military foreign policy from the Middle East to its rivalries with China and Russia, it is seeking to build relationships with potential allies in Europe and Asia. One way to do this is to have those nations stop using Chinese and Russian guns, tanks, planes, and ships, and to start using American ones.
To find the countries that U.S. Army contractors are selling the most weapons systems, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the most recent Army Weapon Systems Handbook for 2020-2021, published by the Army, and identified how many active or in development systems are being sold to each country. The countries are ranked by the number of systems being sold to each. We have included notable weapons systems that each country is purchasing as well. According to the Handbook, building up our allies’ military capabilities can “contribute to global security.”
One of the most popular weapon systems is the hellfire family of missiles. bought by 13 of the 30 countries on the list. An air-to-ground missile, a hellfire can precisely hit conventional and nonconventional targets. Nine countries purchased Blackhawk helicopters.
The majority of the military sales went to NATO allies, such as the U.K., Spain, and Poland. Army contractors also sold to countries the U.S. has had conflicts with in the past, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, as the U.S. is trying to strengthen their militaries.
Yet the most sales went to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, tied at a total of 15 weapons systems each. The sales to Saudi Arabia have become controversial recently when the country decided to cut oil production, thereby leading to higher gas prices. The Washington Post reported that lawmakers are considering pulling U.S. troops from the country and stopping all arms sales.
Although not on the list, the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with weapons, too. See all of the weapons the U.S. has committed to Ukraine since the invasion.
Click here to see the countries that buy the most weapons from the US Army.
30. Indonesia
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 5 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hellfire Family of Missiles, Javelin Close Combat Missile System, Sentinel Radar — AN/MPQ-64 A3/A4, and Apache Attack Helicopter
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29. Kenya
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 5 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Mine Protection Vehicle Family, High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Small Arms — Crew Served Weapons, and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
28. Poland
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 5 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
27. Romania
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 5 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Precision Weapons — Individual Weapons, Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3
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26. Singapore
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 5 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Artillery Ammunition, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Apache Attack Helicopter, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System
25. Spain
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 5 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hellfire Family of Missiles, Paladin Family of Vehicles, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, and Aircraft Survivability Equipment
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24. Brazil
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 6 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Precision Weapons — Individual Weapons, Small Arms — Crew Served Weapons, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, and Paladin Family of Vehicles
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23. Canada
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 6 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Lightweight Towed Howitzer, Mine Protection Vehicle Family, Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Medical, and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
22. Greece
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 6 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Multiple Launch Rocket System, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, and Hellfire Family of Missiles
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21. Sweden
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 6 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, High Mobility Engineer Excavator, and Artillery Ammunition
20. Qatar
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 7
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Javelin Close Combat Missile System, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Aircraft Survivability Equipment, and Test Equipment Modernization
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19. South Korea
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, and Apache Attack Helicopter
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18. Japan
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hydra Rocket Systems, Artillery Ammunition, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Multiple Launch Rocket System, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3
17. Kuwait
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Abrams Main Battle Tank, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, and Apache Attack Helicopter
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16. Lebanon
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Bradley Fighting Vehicle, High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Small Arms — Crew Served Weapons, and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
15. Morocco
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Abrams Main Battle Tank, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Apache Attack Helicopter, Precision Weapons — Individual Weapons, and Artillery Ammunition
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14. Netherlands
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hellfire Family of Missiles, Patriot Advanced Capabilities-3, Sentinel Radar — AN/MPQ-64 A2/A4, and Apache Attack Helicopter
13. Thailand
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Lakota Light Utility Helicopter, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, and Paladin Family of Vehicles
12. Tunisia
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 8 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Small Arms — Crew Served Weapons, Precision Weapons — Individual Weapons, and Hellfire Family of Missiles
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11. Bahrain
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 9 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hellfire Family of Missiles, Paladin Family of Vehicles, Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar, Multiple Launch Rocket System, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3
10. Jordan
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 9 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, Artillery Ammunition, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Paladin Family of Vehicles, and Aircraft Survivability Equipment
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9. Afghanistan
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 10 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Line Haul Tractor, High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Motor Grader — 120M, Scraper –621G, and Artillery Ammunition
8. Australia
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 10 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Artillery Ammunition, Lightweight Towed Howitzer, Javelin Close Combat Missile System, Abrams Main Battle Tank, and Mine Protection Vehicle Family
7. Iraq
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 11
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hydra Rocket Systems, Artillery Ammunition, Motor Grader — 120M, Scraper –621G, Abrams Main Battle Tank, and
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6. Israel
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 12
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hellfire Family of Missiles, Multiple Launch Rocket System, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, Apache Attack Helicopter, and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
5. United Arab Emirate
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 13
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Javelin Close Combat Missile System, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, and Apache Attack Helicopter
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4. Taiwan
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 14 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Paladin Family of Vehicles, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3
3. United Kingdom
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 14 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Artillery Ammunition, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Javelin Close Combat Missile System, and Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control
2. Egypt
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 15 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: Hydra Rocket Systems, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Hellfire Family of Missiles, Abrams Main Battle Tank, and Avenger Air Defense System
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1. Saudi Arabia
>Active/in development U.S. Army weapons systems purchased: 15 (tied)
>Notable weapons systems purchased: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Artillery Ammunition, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Hellfire Family of Missiles, and Abrams Main Battle Tank
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