UK arms exports hit record high
The UK exported more weapons in 2025 than in any other year since the government began collecting such data in 1983, the British Defense Ministry has announced.
London secured £20 billion ($27 billion) in arms sales to foreign countries this year, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Much of the business generated by the British defense industry comes in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In fact, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) in November called UK defense firms the “locomotives” of national industry, stating that profits from the conflict are “basically saving the British economy from bankruptcy,” thus explaining why London is uninterested in a peaceful settlement.
Half of the sum earned through UK’s defense exports in 2025 came from a £10 billion ($13.5 billion) deal with Norway to supply at least five Type 26 frigates, according to the statement.
The UK’s minister for defense readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, said that the deal with Norway means the UK is contributing to “better equipping our combined navies to counter the threat from Russia in the North Atlantic.”
According to the ministry, the UK also agreed “the largest fighter jet deal in a generation,” selling 20 Typhoon aircraft to Türkiye for £8 billion ($10.8 billion) to “strengthen NATO’s southern flank.”
“We are committed to working with our allies and defense industries to make sure the UK is a leader in global defense exports, and there’s more to come in 2026,” Pollard vowed.
The UK has been among the strongest backers of Ukraine since the escalation between Moscow and Kiev in 2022, providing the government of Vladimir Zelensky with £21.8 billion ($29.5 billion) in both military and financial aid.
Last month, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £26 billion ($34.4 billion) in tax increases, partly intended to boost defense spending to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027 in line with London’s commitments to NATO.
Russia has long criticized Western European countries, including Britain, for their “rabid militarization,” warning that it risks sparking a wider conflict on the continent. Moscow argued that claims of the “Russian threat” are manufactured by Western governments to justify soaring military budgets and draw public attention away from domestic problems.
Earlier this month, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that revenue of world’s top 100 arms makers increased by 5.9% in 2024, reaching $679 billion, as demand for weapons grew amid the Ukraine conflict and the Israeli military operation in Gaza.
