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Swedish weapons exports have fallen over the past decade

The Local Sweden
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Swedish weapons exports have fallen over the past decade
A Jas Gripen plane pictured on a test flight. Photo: Lars Pehrson/SvD/TT

Swedish weapons exports have reduced by more than half over the past decade, according to a new report, but the nation remains the 15th largest weapons exporter in the world.

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Over the past ten years, Swedish weapons exports have fallen by 62 percent, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said. 

Between 2009 and 2013, Swedish weapons exports accounted for 1.9 percent of the total market, but between 2014 and 2018, that figure fell to only 0.7 percent.

The five largest exporting nations – the USA, Russia, France, Germany and China – accounted for 75 percent of all weapons exports in 2014-2018.

One major factor behind the reduction in Sweden is that it has sold fewer Jas Gripen fighter aircraft over recent years.

"If you have an order of a Gripen, the figures are big. If you don't, it's less," said Sipri expert Pieter Wezeman, speaking to SVT Nyheter. "Over the past five years, not a single Gripen fighter plan has been exported, aside from a used one exported to Hungary. So [the overall figure] has fallen a lot."

However, two sales made over the period will be delivered to their buyers later in 2019: a Jas Gripen plane sold to Brazil and a reconnaissance aircraft to be delivered to the UAE.

Between the periods 2009-2013 and 2014-2018, Russia's weapons exports fell by 17 percent while France's increased by 43 percent and Germany's by 13 percent.

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