Israel shattered its all-time record in defense exports, surpassing $12.5 billion in 2022, the Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.
The figure, equivalent to around 45 billion shekels, represents a doubling of the scope of defense exports in less than a decade, with a 50% increase in just three years. A substantial portion of the contracts signed last year, roughly a quarter of them, were specifically for drones and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted European countries to boost defense spending. At the same time, Israel’s Abraham accords partners — the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco — have also been interested in Israel’s military technology.
Over the past decade, India has also emerged as one of the largest importers of Israeli defense equipment, spending a reported $1.5-$2 billion annually.
Meanwhile, the German government is reportedly advancing its plans to purchase Israel’s Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system, which is capable of intercepting missiles in space.
Also on Wednesday, the Haifa-based Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded a contract to provide electronic warfare systems for the German Air Force.
Praising the record sales, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “Thanks to the creativity and innovation of the people of the defense industries and the Ministry of Defense, we manage to get ahead of our enemies and maintain the qualitative advantage over them. The citizens of Israel today have a great reason to be proud – also in the extraordinary figures and especially in those who stand behind them.”
He added, “The global changes have created a great demand for the Israeli technologies that have become a household name in the world, and we predict that this trend will continue and intensify in the coming year as well.”
