The global military economy has been transformed over the recent past by trends in military expenditure and technology. A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military or intelligence department of a government. Products typically include military or civilian aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems, while services can include logistics, technical support and training, communications support, and engineering support in cooperation with the government.
Being a prime contractor can be beneficial to the growth and development of any business. Whether you have a small business or a large establishment, you can still bid for defense contracts. However, security contractors do not generally provide direct support of military operations. Under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, military contractors engaged in direct support of military operations may be legitimate targets of military interrogation.
Check out the top 20 largest defense contractors in the world.
| Rank | Company | Defense revenue |
| 1. | Lockheed Martin | 58.21 billion |
| 2. | Raytheon Technologies | 36.79 billion |
| 3. | Boeing | 32.01 billion |
| 4. | Northrop Grumman | 20.24 billion |
| 5. | General Dynamics Corp. | 25.77 billion |
| 6. | BAE Systems | 23.96 billion |
| 7. | NORINCO | 17.75 billion |
| 8. | AVIC | 16.98 billion |
| 9. | CETC | 14.75 billion |
| 10. | L3Harris Technologies | 14.20 billion |
| 11. | Airbus | 11.93 billion |
| 12. | CASIC | 12.06 billion |
| 13. | Leonardo | 11.17 billion |
| 14. | Thales Group | 9.12 billion |
| 15. | Huntington Ingalls | 8.27 billion |
| 16. | Leidos | 7.38 billion |
| 17. | Almaz-Antey | 6.07 billion |
| 18. | Honeywell | 5.87 billion |
| 19. | Booz Allen Hamilton | 5.53 billion |
| 20. | CSGC | 5.42 billion |
