France is third with about $5.9 billion in arms sales last year.

[tigershark]

France is third with about $5.9 billion in arms sales last year and was wondering does anybody have a breakdown on there sales.   Usually high arms totals include advance aircraft and the support that goes with them and the Rafale still doesn't have a signed contract yet.   Do the French sell a lot of missile, naval shipping, helicopters ?   Thanks in advance if anybody can help.

[Webmaster]

I don't have an exact break down, and I don't know how they are actually counted (orders or deliveries?). But yes they sell a lot of other arms or arms related equipment, and 2006/2007 has been good years. Don't forget that EADS is partly French, with Airbus (A310/330 tankers and A400M), Eurocopter (NH90, EC135, UH-72, Cougar/Puma, Dauphin) and MBDA missiles. Then you have Dassault and Thales air defense, naval, electronics, plus smaller ones. Also take into account the export of surplus equipment (Mirage 2000s to Brazil) and upgrades (Lybian/Moroccan/Spanish Mirages). And then you have all the other non-aerospace companies, which do vehicles, armour, equipment, small arms, systems.

It's not all about the Rafale. 

Also, the Netherlands was not too long ago at the fourth or fifth place in arms sales, which was largely thanks to the sale of some naval ships I think. They don't sell in large numbers, but the price tag is very high. The ship's radar system alone costs about as much as a jet.