Third World Arms Manufacture

Arms manufacture is one of the fastest-expanding, most important -- and most profitable --- industries in many countries of the Third World. Lock and Wulf found that forty-one Third World countries -- eight in Latin America, twelve in Africa, five in the Near East/West Asia, and sixteen elsewhere in Asia -- plus five in the southern periphery of Europe were engaged in or preparing for the domestic manufacture of arms in the late 1970s:

The level of domestic arms production attained so far in the respective countries differs by a wide margin. Most industries are restricted to the manufacture of small arms or ammunition in relatively small quantities, others are specialized in the construction of small naval craft only. In some countries, however, domestic arms production has attained a considerable level and a relatively high degree of diversification including even production for export. Argentina, Brazil, India, Israel, South Africa, Spain, possibly Taiwan and Yugoslavia are to be mentioned while other nations like Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey are pursuing an expansion of their domestic arms industry. . . .

Modern fighter aircraft, jet trainer or aeroengines are built in 12 developing countries, generally under license, while light aircraft are manufactured in 14 nations of the Third World. Eight aircraft manufacturers in 14 nations of the Third World produce or assemble helicopters, for missiles and rockets the corresponding figure is 11, for military electronics and avionics nine. The construction of hulls for small naval craft and fighting ships takes place in more than 30 developing countries, while engines, armament and electronic equipment are normally imported. About ten developing nations have constructed warships for their navies above 500 ts or plan to do so, while eight countries produced annoured personnel carriers or even tanks. At present more new projects than ever are still in the pipeline, some of them quite demanding. Eight more countries, alone, pursue plans to take up the production of modern fighter aircraft or jet trainers. Additional countries are certain to enter the register of domestic arms production soon. Other countries will expand and diversify their present productive capacity. . . . Quite often the share of locally added value in the production of weapon systems is minimal.

The production of modern weapon systems imposes itself by backward and forward linkages on previous and subsequent production stages. The choices of techniques in large sectors of industry are predetermined by the technological imperatives of arms production. Capital-intensive, minimum scales of production, quality otherwise not warranted and too expensive for civilian production such as quality steels and other metal alloys are determining industrial standards of incipient industries in these developing countries.