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| Indian Mirage 2000 (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
PARIS — Major orders from India and Malaysia helped lift French arms exports to a value of 6.5 billion euros ($8.4 billion) last year, according to a parliamentary report published Nov. 22.
The total, a 27 percent increase in value terms from 2010, ensured France remained the world’s fourth-biggest exporter, behind the U.S., Russia and Britain.
Between 2006 and 2011, France’s Defence Ministry estimates that the U.S. had 44 percent of the world market, Russia 14 percent, Britain 11 percent, France 8.5 percent and Israel 5.5 percent.
The Asia-Pacific region took 42 percent of French exports last year, buoyed in particular by a contract with India for the modernization of 51 French-built Mirage 2000 fighter jets and an order from Malaysia for parts for armored vehicles.
Read the full story at DefenseNews