Defense Contractor

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	U.S.	1	36,090	91.0
2	Boeing	U.S.	2	30,800	50.0
3	BAE Systems	U.K.	4	25,070	93.0
4	Northrop Grumman	U.S.	3	23,649	78.4
5	Raytheon	U.S.	5	19,500	96.1
6	General Dynamics	U.S.	6	18,769	78.0
7	EADS	Europe	7	13,202	25.4
8	L-3 Communications	U.S.	13	9,989	80.1
9	Finmeccanica	Italy	11	9,057	55.0
10	United Technologies	U.S.	12	7,652	16.0
Source: www.defensenews.com

See also

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

External links

• The British Library - finding information on the defence industry