Research background: The completion of the ideological confrontation of socio-economic systems that occurred in the early 90s of XX century after the collapse of the USSR did not radically affect the development of the global defense industrial complex (DIC). Taking into account the place and role of national DICs in the economies of the world's leading powers, we can only talk about the modification of their development in the new historical conditions. The defense industry complex in Russia, as before in the USSR, is one of the priority areas of the country's development. Purpose of the article was to study the current state of the Russian DIC, to analyse problems, limitations and prospects for its development. The hypothesis was put forward that the condition of the Russian DIC is currently determined by the whole complex of factors, both internal and external, and therefore the solution of these problems should also be comprehensive. Methods: The study was based on statistical analysis of information from both official databases (SIPRI, World Bank, Federal Government Statistics Service) and other open sources. Findings & Value added: The analysis showed that all corporations of the Russian DIC have positive dynamics in the value of their assets and generally demonstrate good financial stability under difficult external and internal economic and political conditions. At the same time, a number of problems requiring prompt resolution pose a threat to the successful development of the Russian defense industry in the near and distant future. The scientific value of research is determined by the comprehensive approach itself.