THE LARGEST WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION PRODUCERS IN THE U.S.A.

By AI ChatGPT5-T.Chr.-Human Synthesis-17 December 2025

Here are the largest weapons and ammunition producers in the United States, grouped by overall defense manufacturing and ammunition / small arms, since those are often different industries.

These companies dominate heavy weapons, missiles, aircraft, naval systems, and advanced munitions:

Largest U.S. Weapons & Defense Manufacturers (Overall).

1. Lockheed Martin.

Largest defense contractor in the worldProduces:F-35 fighter jetsHIMARS rocket systemsJavelin missiles (with Raytheon)Trident nuclear missilesMajor focus: missiles, aircraft, space systems

2. RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies)

Specialize in: Patriot missile systemsTomahawk cruise missilesAir defense and radarOne of the world’s biggest missile producers

3. Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Produces:Military aircraft (F-15, F/A-18)MissilesSpace and surveillance systems

4. Northrop Grumman

Known for:B-21 stealth bomberNuclear weapons systemsAdvanced munitions and electronics

5. General Dynamics

Produces:Abrams tanksArmored vehiclesSubmarinesOwns General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (major ammo producer)

Largest U.S. Ammunition Producers

These companies focus on bullets, artillery shells, and explosives:

1. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems

Largest U.S. ammunition producerProduces:Artillery shellsTank ammunitionMedium- and large-caliber roundsMajor supplier for NATO and Ukraine

2. Northrop Grumman (Ammunition Division)

Produces:Medium- and large-caliber ammoAdvanced explosives

3. Olin Corporation (Winchester)

Largest small-arms ammunition producer in the U.S.Produces:Rifle and handgun ammoMilitary, law enforcement, and civilian markets

4. Vista Outdoor (brands like Federal, CCI, Speer)

Major producer of:Small-caliber ammunitionCivilian and law enforcement ammo

5. ATK (formerly Alliant Techsystems)

Now integrated into Northrop GrummanHistorically a major U.S. military ammo supplier.

Key PointHeavy weapons & missiles → dominated by Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing.

Artillery & military ammunition → led by General Dynamics.

Small arms ammo → dominated by Winchester (Olin) and Vista Outdoor.

Total annual revenue of major U.S. defense companies1. Total annual revenue of major U.S. defense companies.

1.As mentioned earlier, the largest U.S. weapons makers generate hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue per year (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon/RTX, Northrop Grumman, Boeing Defense, General Dynamics). Combined U.S. arms & defense revenue in the SIPRI Top 100 is around $330+ billion annually. But that is revenue to the companies, not directly revenue to investors. That total includes what the companies collect from government and export contracts, not investor profit.

2. Profit & dividends (money that goes to investors) Investors earn returns in two main ways: A) Dividends — cash paid to shareholders. Many large defense stocks pay dividends. For example:Lockheed Martin has a dividend yield around ~2.5–3%. Raytheon (RTX) has a dividend yield around ~2–2.5%. General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris also pay dividends. If a company has:$60 billion in revenue~10% profit margin → ~$6 billion in net profit. Then pays ~50% of profit in dividends → ~$3 billion to shareholders.

This is the rough scale — defense companies collectively likely pay several billion dollars per year in dividends to all their shareholders worldwide, including U.S. investors. Capital gains — stock price growth. Investors also earn when stock prices rise. There’s no single number for this — it depends on market performance. For example, if a defense stock goes up 10% in a year, and someone holds $100,000 in it, that person makes $10,000 that year (unrealized until sold).

3. Market value of the industry. The total stock market capitalization (value of all shares) of major U.S. defense companies gives a sense of scale:Lockheed Martin: ~$100+ billion market capRTX: ~$120+ billion. Northrop Grumman: ~$70+ billion. General Dynamics: ~$50+ billion. L3Harris: ~$40+ billion(Estimates — actual values fluctuate daily). So the total market cap of major U.S. defense stocks is on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars. U.S and global investors collectively own those shares.

Annual dividends distributed by major U.S. defense companies — likely in the low single-digit billions USD each year (e.g., ~$5–10 billion combined), much of which goes to U.S. institutional and individual shareholders.

Capital gains — vary widely with the stock market, but over the long term defense stocks have tended to grow, so investors could be earning tens of billions annually in unrealized gains, depending on market conditions. But there’s no official published total because investor earnings depend on who holds the shares and when they buy/sell..Time period (annual? cumulative over years?),Which companies (only public ones? all defense contractors? ammunition makers? supply chain?).

1. Total annual revenue of major U.S. defense companiesAs mentioned earlier, the largest U.S. weapons makers generate hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue per year (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon/RTX, Northrop Grumman, Boeing Defense, General Dynamics). Combined U.S. arms & defense revenue in the SIPRI Top 100 is around $330+ billion annually.But that is revenue to the companies, not directly revenue to investors. That total includes what the companies collect from government and export contracts, not investor profit.

2. Profit & dividends (money that goes to investors). Investors earn returns in two main ways:A) Dividends — cash paid to shareholders. Many large defense stocks pay dividends. For example:Lockheed Martin has a dividend yield around ~2.5–3%. Raytheon (RTX) has a dividend yield around ~2–2.5%. General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris also pay dividends. If a company has:$60 billion in revenue~10% profit margin → ~$6 billion in net profit. Then pays ~50% of profit in dividends → ~$3 billion to shareholders. This is the rough scale — defense companies collectively likely pay several billion dollars per year in dividends to all their shareholders worldwide, including U.S. investors.

Capital gains — stock price growth. Investors also earn when stock prices rise. There’s no single number for this — it depends on market performance. For example, if a defense stock goes up 10% in a year, and someone holds $100,000 in it, that person makes $10,000 that year (unrealized until sold).

3. Market value of the industry. The total stock market capitalization (value of all shares) of major U.S. defense companies gives a sense of scale: Lockheed Martin: ~$100+ billion market capRTX: ~$120+ billion. Northrop Grumman: ~$70+ billion. General Dynamics: ~$50+ billion. L3Harris: ~$40+ billion(Estimates — actual values fluctuate daily) So the total market cap of major U.S. defense stocks is on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars. U.S and global investors collectively own those shares.

Annual dividends distributed by major U.S. defense companies — likely in the low single-digit billions USD each year (e.g., ~$5–10 billion combined), much of which goes to U.S. institutional and individual shareholders.

Capital gains — vary widely with the stock market, but over the long term defense stocks have tended to grow, so investors could be earning tens of billions annually in unrealized gains, depending on market conditions. But there’s no official published total because investor earnings depend on who holds the shares and when they bought.

President Donald Trump also have investment holdings, but he is not primarily known as a “big investor” in the sense of being a major institutional or venture capital investor like Warren Buffett or big hedge-fund managers. His wealth and investments are a mix of business assets, stocks, crypto ventures, and other holdings.