As the war in Iran hits large parts of the global economy hard, the arms sector is raking in thousands of orders. In the first sixteen days of operations against Iran, the coalition led by the United States consumed $26 billion worth of ammunition, according to a study by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi). More than 11,200 projectiles were fired, including 1,200 Patriot missiles, several hundred Tomahawks, and 300 Thaad interceptors. Each empty arsenal is a potential order for the arms industry.
The first to benefit are the three major American companies. RTX, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are expected to capture the majority of the $16.5 billion in military sales to the Gulf States approved by the State Department since the start of the conflict. Boeing will triple its production of sensors for Patriot Pac-3 missiles under a seven-year contract with the Pentagon. In Washington, Donald Trump said he wants to increase the US defence budget to $1.5 trillion, while Pete Hegseth confirmed that an additional request of around $200 billion had been submitted to the White House.
The Financial Times also revealed that the Defense Secretary’s broker, Pete Hegseth, tried to invest several million dollars in a BlackRock index fund dedicated to the defense industry, just before the attack on Iran was launched. The investment ultimately did not…
Read more on Paris Match
