The Stockholm Institute for Peace Research SIPRI has now presented the latest sales figures for the hundred largest arms companies. They were also able to enjoy an excellent financial year in 2021 and slightly increased their sales in 2021 to 592 billion euros. But the main problem is supply-chain bottlenecks due to sanctions.
Nothing will change for the better in that respect anytime soon, because Russia of all places is also the most important supplier of raw materials for the western armaments companies.
It is doubly embarrassing, because Western countries had actually wanted to inflict maximum damage on Russia with their sanctions policy.
So far, this goal has clearly been missed. But even worse: as a result of their escalating support for Ukraine, many Western armaments arsenals have been emptied dramatically in recent months.
Especially with a view to the continued support of Ukraine and the preparation for possible Russian threats, western armaments suppliers should be producing at full speed in order to fill the gaps again. But nothing will come of it since many of the most important raw materials come from Russia of all places.
“If the supply chain problems persist, it could take some of the most important arms manufacturers years to meet the demand created by the war in Ukraine,” explained SIPRI researcher Diego Lopes da Silva to Manager Magazin.