Demand soars for Israel’s battle-tested weapons tech despite global criticism of its wartime conduct

TEL AVIV, Israel — When Israeli defense officials contacted Massivit last year about using its unique 3D printers to make military drone parts, CEO Yossi Azarzar jumped at the chance.

Even though the Israeli company had produced large set pieces and other designs for companies like Disney, DreamWorks and Netflix, the opportunity to quickly produce large drone parts for the military was too good to pass up.

“I stopped thinking about Hollywood sets,” Azarzar said. “The entertainment industry is an interesting customer – defense is a necessity.”

Business in Israel’s arms sector is booming, despite widespread criticism of the country’s conduct in its wars in Gaza, against Hezbollah and against Iran. Countries that have vowed to avoid Israeli arms makers are nonetheless quietly placing orders, industry officials say. And manufacturers, including some like Massivit without prior military know-how, can show that their innovations are continually tested and improved in combat.

According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, Israeli arms sales have more than doubled over the past five years, reaching a record of nearly $15 billion in 2024. Although the ministry has not released overall figures for 2025, major Israeli arms manufacturers, 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 missiles, rockets and air defense systems. For the first time, Israel overtook the United Kingdom in terms of its share of global arms exports, making it the world’s seventh largest supplier, according to a March report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

“This tremendous achievement is a direct result of the successes of (the army) and the defense industries. (…) The world sees Israel’s strength and seeks to be a partner,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

This year’s Defense Tech Expo in Tel Aviv reflected growing international interest in Israeli weapons, with manufacturers promoting weapons and other equipment shaped by the country’s recent conflicts. But it also highlighted the tension between the display of military technology and the political debate around its use, with protesters denouncing the widespread destruction of Gaza as a testing laboratory for Israeli weapons.

Last year, Spain canceled a deal for anti-tank missile systems sold by a subsidiary of an Israeli company. 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 October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 others hostage, Israel retaliated, killing more than 72,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Some countries and human rights groups have accused Israel of war crimes.

The Israeli Defense Ministry claims to use its equipment to defend the country and its population, and denies using battlefields as a testing ground.

Human rights advocates, however, say Israel has deployed new weapons and technologies during the Gaza war, including in the areas of AI, big data and targeting.

“The regional war has largely modeled itself on Israel’s murderous plan and has provided a boon to Israeli and other defense and technology companies able to leverage the use of their products in Gaza to attract more business,” said Omar Shakir, executive director of DAWN, a U.S.-based group founded by slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi that advocates for human rights in the Middle East.

Despite criticism that the Israeli arms sector benefits from technologies used and improved on the battlefield, it is not alone, experts say.

“Countries have had to dramatically increase their defenses because of the proliferation of global conflicts and they need systems that work. And most countries don’t have time right now to build their own defense systems locally and quickly,” said Seth J. Frantzman, a research associate at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who has covered the Israeli arms industry for a decade and wrote the book “Drone Wars.”

Many countries are turning to Israel because they are seeing in real time that these munitions and systems work, he said.

For Massivit, sales have soared since it pivoted to making drone parts for the military, including a 200% increase in inquiries from interested buyers since Israel and the United States attacked Iran in late February, according to Azarzar.

The company’s unique 3D printing technology allows it to manufacture large parts for military drones in days instead of weeks. In addition to being sold to the Israeli military, the company’s technology has attracted interest from the defense and aerospace sectors in Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia and India, he said.

Business has also been good for other defense contractors.

Tomer Malchi, co-founder and CEO of ASIO, said orders from the Israeli military for the company’s rugged smartphone, the Orion, have increased 400% since the start of the Gaza war.

The phones use maps, enhancements and artificial intelligence to help soldiers plan missions, navigate and respond to threats on the battlefield in real time. ASIO recently signed an agreement with a major US defense company and is in talks with around 20 other countries, Malchi said.

According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, one of the areas that will be a future priority for innovation is the destruction of drones, which proved difficult during the war with Iran. Drones are difficult to locate on radar systems calibrated to spot high-speed missiles and can be mistaken for birds or planes.

Israel Weapon Industries, a local weapons manufacturer, has developed a system to help soldiers more accurately shoot down tactical drones. At a shooting range in central Israel, an IWI instructor fired shots at a makeshift drone to demonstrate how the system works. A computer chip embedded in a soldier’s rifle provides greater accuracy and efficiency and significantly reduces the influence of fatigue and other factors by allowing the trigger to remain depressed.

The system, known as Arbel, hit the market in 2024 and now has more than two dozen countries using it, said Semion Dukhan, IWI’s head of Europe.

Among IWI’s buyers are countries that have publicly stated they will not enter into deals with Israel, Dukhan said, although he did not name them.

“People and politicians say things they need to say…what they say doesn’t necessarily match what’s going on beneath the surface,” he said, emphasizing that ultimately countries want to equip their citizens with the best equipment.