Israeli defense exports amounted to 10-12% of worldwide defense exports in 2003, Ministry of Defense Director General Amos Yaron and Defense Export Organization Director General Yossi Ben-Hanan told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee earlier this month. In monetary terms, the Knesset Committee was told, that comes to US$3 billion.



Five of the most successful of the Israeli defense firms made it onto the Defense News Top 100 defense companies list for 2004. The Defense News list is based on defense revenues of the last full year (in this case, 2003), as reported by senior company executives.



Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) was ranked 33 with $1.86 billion in defense-related revenue; Elbit Systems came in at number 50 with $898 million in revenue; Rafael - Armament Development Authority came in 52nd with $830 million in revenue; Israel Military Industries (IMI) came in 75th with $513.1 million in revenue; and Tadiran Communications was in 98th place with $272.2 million in defense-related revenue.



Last year's Defense News Top 100 also included five Israeli firms, including Elbit, IAI, Rafael and IMI. The other firm, which did not make it onto the list this year, was the Elisra Group. Israel has had five firms in the Defense News Top 100 every year since at least 1999.