Britain’s arms exports soared in 2022 after two years of decline, according to analysis by the Campaign Against Arms Trade, a UK-based organization working to eradicate the arms trade.
Arms sales were calculated under single individual export licenses (SIELs), the most widely exported type with sales data disclosed.
Accordingly, the country’s arms exports reached £8.5 billion last year, the highest level seen since the early 2000s, when data in this area began to be released. Arms exports doubled last year compared to 2021.
The UK’s largest arms export destination was Qatar with £2.7 billion. The export of Typhoon type fighter jets, the first of which was delivered in August 2022, accounted for £2.4 billion of arms exports to Qatar.
Qatar was followed by Saudi Arabia with 1.1 billion pounds and the USA with 860 million pounds. Britain’s arms exports to Turkey last year amounted to £424 million, and to Ukraine £401m.