Nazi israel arms exports down $1 bn as war purchases reach all-time high

Israeli arms exports down $1 bln as defense purchases reach all-time high

Israel remains one of world's top 10 arms exports; Defense purchases in 2014 set all-time record

JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Image"An Israeli Air Force Heron TP surveillance drone, known as the IAI Eitan, a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle."

Israeli-developed technology and weapons were down $1 billion in 2014 compared to 2013, the Defense Ministry reported. In 2014 Israeli defense companies signed export deals worth $5.66 billion, a drop of 12.9 percent from the $6.5 billion signed in 2013. The drop, the Ministry says, is due to a reduction in defense budgets as well as fewer orders from the United States and Europe. Weapons exports to African countries and Asia meanwhile have increased.
"Export figures reflect the difficulties that even the leading exporters of defense systems have to contend with, including the global budgetary crisis – especially in developed nations – alongside increasing competition over each contract in existing markets," said a statement released by the Defense Ministry.
Israeli arms to African countries rose 40 percent to $318 million in 2014 and sales to the Asia Pacific region reached nearly $3 billion, three times the level of exports to North America which was $937 million and Europe which had an even more modest sum of $724 million.
Israel's main exports include telecommunications systems, ammunition and precision weapons systems, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), radar and advanced defense technologies.
Israel still remains one of the world's top 10 arms exporters.

-2014 defense purchases set an all-time record of NIS 14.1 bln-

Meanwhile, Israel's 2014 defense budget set an all-time record of NIS 14.1 billion, the Ministry of Defense Procurement and Production Directorate disclosed.
The country's defense spending grew 6.9% in 2014, its biggest increase since 2006.

Ynet/Yoav zeitun"Israeli army's hummer"

This includes weapons purchases made during last summer’s 50-day conflict with Hamas, and acquisitions that followed it.
Ministry of Defense deputy director general and Procurement and Production Directorate head Brigadier General (res.) Shmuel Zucker, said the reason for last year's steep rise was the procurement of various weapons for use by IDF force in last summer's Operation Protective Edge and large-scale procurement following the operation in order to replenish stockpiles.
“The Defense Ministry is currently concluding one of the largest acquisition operations carried out for the IDF in recent years,” Tzuker said. “It began on the first day of Operation Protective Edge, and continued around the clock, until now, in order to meet all of the IDF’s needs. The entire time, we made sure that we kept a maximum number of acquisition deals within the State of Israel, to ensure that every shekel given to us for acquisitions is invested in Israeli industry, and not exported for foreign acquisitions,” he added.

http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/72081-150522-israeli-arms-exports-down-1-bln-as-defense-purchases-reach-all-time-high