Earlier this month, the Department for International Trade (DIT) (www.gov.uk/dit) published its annual defence and security export figures for 2017.

The report estimates that the global defence export market was worth close to $98 billion, the biggest in a decade; UK defence exports were worth £9 billion, up 53% on the 2016 total, giving the UK an estimated 12% market share, which puts it in third place.

The USA retained its position as the pre-eminent defence exporter, with a market share estimated at 53% in 2017. Russia was in second place with an estimated 16% market share.

The UK leapfrogged France, which recently released its own statistics, showing sales of 6.7 billion euros — half the 2016 figure.

Aerospace, which remained the backbone of UK exports, accounted for two thirds of all sales globally, but 91% of UK exports. Notable contributors in 2017 included: the growth in F-35 sales and exports, for which the UK supplies 15% of the value-added content; and the sale of Rolls-Royce engines for Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft to Germany.

This level of UK performance is likely to continue in future years, as sales of Typhoon aircraft to Qatar and, potentially, a second batch to Saudi Arabia come ‘online’.

Despite these sales not yet being recorded in the statistics, the Middle East nevertheless continued as the dominant market for UK exports, accounting for 57% of sales on average over 10 years, but 67% in 2017.

In the global security export market, the UK achieved export sales of £4.8 billion in 2017, up 12% from 2016 and giving it a global ranking of fourth — its highest-ever position — along with a European ranking of number one.