Demand soars for Israel's battle-tested weapons tech despite global
criticism of its wartime conduct
[May 20, 2026] By
SAM MEDNICK
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — When Israeli defense officials approached
Massivit last year about using its unique 3D printers to make military
drone parts, CEO Yossi Azarzar jumped at the chance.
Although the Israeli company had been producing large set pieces and
other designs for the likes of Disney, DreamWorks and Netflix, the
opportunity to instead quickly churn out large drone parts for the
military was too good to ignore.
“I stopped thinking about Hollywood sets,” Azarzar said. “The
entertainment industry is a nice customer — defense is a necessity."
Business has been booming for the Israeli arms sector, despite
widespread criticism of the country’s conduct in its wars in Gaza, with
Hezbollah and with Iran. Countries that have vowed to shun Israeli
weapons makers are nonetheless quietly placing orders, according to
industry officials. And manufacturers, including some like Massivit with
no previous military know-how, can show that their innovations are being
continually combat-tested and improved.
According to Israel’s Defense Ministry, Israeli weapons sales have more
than doubled over the past five years, with a record high of nearly $15
billion in 2024. While the ministry hasn’t released overall 2025
figures, leading Israeli weapons makers, including Elbit and Israel
Aerospace Industries, both reported double-digit sales growth last year.
More than half of the Israeli arms industry's sales are for missiles,
rockets and air-defense systems. For the first time, Israel has
surpassed the United Kingdom in its share of global arms exports, making
it the world’s seventh-biggest supplier, according to a March report by
the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
“This tremendous achievement is a direct result of the successes of the
(army) and defense industries. ... The world sees Israeli strength and
seeks to be a partner in it,” said Israel's defense minister, Israel
Katz.
Solid sales, despite public criticism
This year's Defense Tech Expo in Tel Aviv reflected the growing
international interest in Israeli weapons, with manufacturers promoting
arms and other equipment shaped by the country’s recent conflicts. But
it also highlighted the tension between showcasing the military
technology and the political debate surrounding its use, with event
protesters decrying the widespread destruction of Gaza as a testing lab
for Israeli weapons.
Last year, Spain canceled a deal for anti-tank missile systems sold by
an Israeli company’s subsidiary. Slovenia, meanwhile, announced it would
ban the import, export and transit of all weapons to and from Israel in
response to the country’s actions in Gaza. After Hamas attacked Israel
on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 others
hostage, Israel retaliated, killing more than 72,700 Palestinians,
according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between
fighters and civilians. Some countries and human rights groups have
accused Israel of war crimes.
Israel’s Defense Ministry says it uses its equipment to defend the
country and its people, and denies that it uses battlefields as testing
grounds.
Human rights advocates, though, say Israel has deployed new weapons and
technology during the war in Gaza, including in AI, big data and
targeting.
“The regional war has drawn heavily on Israel’s deadly playbook and
provided a boon to Israeli and other defense and technology companies
able to parlay the use of their products in Gaza to attract more
business,” said Omar Shakir, the executive director of DAWN, a
U.S.-based group founded by murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi that
pushes for human rights in the Middle East.
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Workers operate a 3D printer that makes drone parts at the
headquarters of Masssivit in Lod, Israel, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad
Zwigenberg)
 Despite criticism that Israel's
weapons sector is profiting off technologies being used and improved
on the battlefield, it's hardly alone, according to experts.
“Countries have had to dramatically increase defenses because of the
proliferation of global conflicts and they need systems that will
work. And most countries don’t have the time right now to build
their own defense systems locally and quickly,” said Seth J.
Frantzman, an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies who has covered Israel’s arms industry for a decade and
wrote the book “Drone Wars.”
A lot of countries are looking to Israel because they’re seeing in
real time that these are munitions and systems that work, he said.
High interest in Israeli technology
For Massivit, sales have soared since it pivoted to making drone
parts for the military, including a 200% rise in inquiries from
interested buyers since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran at the end
of February, according to Azarzar.
The company’s unique 3D printing technology allows it to make large
parts for military drones within days instead of weeks. In addition
to selling to the Israeli military, the company's technology has
drawn interest from the defense and aeronautical sectors in Europe,
the U.S., Southeast Asia and India, he said.
Business has also been good for other defense contractors.
Tomer Malchi, co-founder and CEO of ASIO, said Israeli army orders
for the company's rugged smartphone unit, the Orion, have surged by
400% since the war in Gaza started.
The phones use maps, augmentation and artificial intelligence to
help soldiers plan missions, navigate and respond to real-time
battlefield threats. ASIO recently signed a deal with a major U.S.
defense company and is in talks with about 20 other countries,
Malchi said.
One area Israel’s Defense Ministry says will be a future priority
for innovation is taking down drones, which has proven challenging
during the war with Iran. Drones are hard to pinpoint on radar
systems calibrated for spotting high-speed missiles and can be
mistaken for birds or planes.
Israel Weapon Industries, a local weapons maker, has developed a
system to help soldiers more accurately shoot down tactical drones.
At a shooting range in central Israel, an IWI instructor fired
rounds at a makeshift drone to show how the system works. A computer
chip embeds into a soldier’s rifle, providing more accuracy and
efficiency and significantly reducing the influence of fatigue and
other factors by allowing the trigger to remain pressed.
The system, known as Arbel, came to market in 2024 and now has more
than two dozen countries using it, said Semion Dukhan, head of
Europe for IWI.
Among IWI’s buyers are countries that have said publicly that they
won’t do deals with Israel, Dukhan said, though he wouldn’t name
them.
“People and politicians say things they need to say ... what they
say is not necessarily what is going on underneath the surface,” he
said, noting that at the end of the day, countries want to equip
their people with the best gear.
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