Research background: Over the recent period, new “players” have appeared on the world arms and military equipment markets as large exporters, which were previously positioned as large importers of weapons. As international experience shows, in order to become a global exporter of weapons and military equipment, one needs to create powerful military companies. Russian defense companies occupy high places in various TOP lists, which provides the country with a stable position in the export markets. An analysis of the financial condition of these companies makes it possible to deepen the assessment of the prospects for Russian arms exports. The authors have repeatedly addressed the topic of Russian arms exports and the place of Russia in the global arms and military equipment trade markets.

Purpose of the article: The main goal of the study is to analyze the current financial standing of the leading Russian defense industry companies, which ensure the country’s stable positions in global export markets.

Methods: Generalizations of the research are based on the processing and systematization of data obtained from available information sources. By analyzing the statistics, the authors were able to deduce the trends of the current moment and determine the prospects.

Findings & Value added: Consideration of the financial condition of backbone enterprises of the Russian defense industry enabled the authors to make an educated guess about what the prospects for Russia hold high positions in the global markets of AME.