Defense contractor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A defense contractor (or defence contractor, also sometimes called a military contractor) is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a defense department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems. Services can include logistics, technical support and training and communications support.

Defense contractors do not generally provide direct support of military operations. Under 1949 Geneva Conventions defense contractors engaged in direct support of military operations may be legitimate targets of military attack. Compare to Private military contractor.

Top 10 World-Wide Defense Contractors, 2007
Rank	Name	Country/ location	2006 Rank	Defense Revenue (US$ million)	% of total revenue
1	Lockheed Martin	United States	1	36,090	91.0
2	Boeing	United States	2	30,800	50.0
3	BAE Systems	United Kingdom	4	25,070	93.0
4	Northrop Grumman	United States	3	23,649	78.4
5	Raytheon	United States	5	19,500	96.1
6	General Dynamics	United States	6	18,769	78.0
7	EADS	European Union	7	13,202	25.4
8	L-3 Communications	United States	13	9,989	80.1
9	Finmeccanica	Italy	11	9,057	55.0
10	United Technologies	United States	12	7,652	16.0
Source: www.defensenews.com

[edit] See also

• List of United States defense contractors
• Arms industry
• Military-industrial complex
• Private military contractor
• Government contractor

[edit] External links

• The British Library - finding information on the defence industry
• Private Security Transnational Enterprises in Colombia