[The World Through Weapons] What Weapons Does the Largest Arms Exporter, the United States, Also Import?

The MP5 submachine gun from the German company Heckler & Koch (H&K), famous for being used by various special forces worldwide, including the U.S. SWAT and counter-terrorism units [Image source: Heckler & Koch official website / https://www.heckler-koch.com]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The country that produces and sells the most weapons in the world is undoubtedly the United States. The U.S. ranks first in global military power and spends the most on defense, with over 36% of the weapons exported worldwide each year being American-made. However, even the U.S. imports certain weapons.

According to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Saudi Arabia is the largest importer of weapons globally. It accounts for about 12% of the total global arms imports, absorbing a vast amount of weapons, mostly advanced arms made in the U.S. While the U.S. is the undisputed leader in the arms export market, it holds only about 2% of the arms import market, ranking around 16th overall.

US Special Forces using the Carl Gustav recoilless rifle in Iraq [Image source= U.S. Army official website / www.army.mil]

Since American defense contractors produce nearly all weapons and lead the entire market, the volume of imports is naturally limited. The U.S. exports over $30 billion worth of weapons annually but is known to import only about $500 million worth each year. Although this is a very small amount compared to exports, it is known that the U.S. imports a significant number of finished products. Most of these are conventional weapons from Europe, with a particular preference for German-made arms.

Considering the fierce battles fought against each other as enemies during World War II, this is somewhat ironic, but Germany is famous for producing excellent standard-issue army weapons. The MP5 submachine gun, known worldwide as a symbol of special forces not only in the U.S. but globally, was made by the German company Heckler & Koch (H&K) in 1966. Despite being an older firearm, it is still widely sold. In the U.S., it is known to be extensively used by various special forces such as the Marine Corps, Navy, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, and counter-terrorism units.

[Image source= Kongsberg website/www.kongsberg.com]

The 'Carl Gustaf' recoilless rifle made by the Swedish company SAAB is also a weapon favored and heavily imported by the U.S. military. Since its creation in 1946, shortly after World War II, it has been preferred as a standard-issue weapon not only by the U.S. Army but also by many armies worldwide. Weighing about 7 kg, it is roughly half the weight of recoilless rifles from the U.S. and other countries, offering high mobility and excellent performance. It is known that in the 1980s, the U.S. conducted performance tests comparing it with domestically produced recoilless rifles and decided to import it after it was overwhelmingly rated superior.

Another famous imported weapon is the 30mm main gun made by the Norwegian company Kongsberg, adopted as the standard weapon for the U.S. Army’s Stryker armored vehicles in 2016. During live-fire tests conducted at Fort Benning Army Base in Georgia, the U.S., the gun demonstrated a firing range twice as long as the previously installed machine guns, reaching up to 3 km. It was also capable of attacking enemy armored vehicles and helicopters, leading to its import. The armored vehicles equipped with this Norwegian-made main gun have since been redeployed to Europe for the purpose of deterring Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.