Recently, the website of the Russian World Arms Trade Analysis Center released the global import situation of conventional weapons in 2024, which has attracted widespread attention from the outside world. In terms of total volume, the total amount of global conventional weapons import contracts in 2024 will reach 122 billion US dollars. Looking back at recent years' data, it was $110.1 billion in 2021, $126 billion in 2022, and $152.1 billion in 2023. It can be seen that the data for 2024 has slightly declined compared to the previous two years, but has significantly increased compared to 2021. From a national perspective, in the 2024 ranking of conventional arms imports, Poland ranks first with an import value of 15.625 billion US dollars, accounting for 12.8% of the total global conventional arms imports; Romania followed closely, with an import value of 10.251 billion US dollars, accounting for 8.4%; India's imports amounted to 9.41 billion US dollars, accounting for 7.71%, ranking third; Ranked fourth to tenth, Israel's imports amounted to 8.2 billion US dollars, accounting for 6.72%; The import value of the Netherlands was 7.922 billion US dollars, accounting for 6.49%; Türkiye's imports amounted to US $7 billion, accounting for 5.73%; Iraq's imports amounted to 5.189 billion US dollars, accounting for 4.25%; South Korea's imports amounted to 3.611 billion US dollars, accounting for 2.96%; Saudi Arabia's imports amounted to 3.605 billion US dollars, accounting for 2.95%; Indonesia's import value was 3.519 billion US dollars, accounting for 2.88%. Based on the relevant information on the list and foreign media reports, the main characteristics of global conventional weapons imports in 2024 are as follows. European countries demonstrate strong purchasing power. Among the top ten European countries on the list, Poland, Romania, and the Netherlands account for nearly 30% of the total imports of conventional weapons, with Poland and Romania being the only two countries on the list with imports exceeding $10 billion. From the comparison of historical data, the military procurement scale of these countries has shown a linear growth trend. Poland's arms import expenditure increased from 620 million US dollars in 2021 to 15.63 billion US dollars in 2024. Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko pointed out that in the past four years, the total amount of military equipment import contracts signed by Poland reached 68.26 billion US dollars, accounting for 13.38% of the global market, ranking first among the world's weapons importing countries. This change marks a significant improvement in Poland's military modernization level. At the same time, the total military purchases of Romania and the Netherlands also set the highest records in the history of their respective countries' weapons procurement. From the perspective of procurement focus, in 2024, Poland signed a weapons and equipment procurement contract worth approximately $10 billion to purchase 96 American made AH-64E Apache helicopters. The contract also includes supporting missile weapons and spare parts, with a delivery period from 2028 to 2032. Romania has invested 7.2 billion US dollars to purchase 32 F-35A fighter jets, along with supporting equipment and maintenance services. The first batch of fighter jets is scheduled to be delivered in 2031; Spending 1.07 billion US dollars to purchase 54 American made M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks, expected to be delivered by 2026. The Netherlands has ordered weapons and equipment such as main battle tanks, warships, and F-35 fighter jets. From the perspective of future trends, in the short term, the high investment in conventional weapons procurement by relevant countries will continue. The Polish government recently released data showing that Poland's defense spending is expected to reach 186.6 billion zlotys (approximately 49.6 billion US dollars) in 2025, an increase of 28.6 billion zlotys from 2024. The proportion of defense spending to GDP will increase from 4.2% to 4.7%, ranking among the top NATO member countries. The Middle East remains a hot selling area for military weapons. Among the top ten countries in the list, Israel, Türkiye, Iraq and Saudi Arabia accounted for about 20% of the total imports of conventional weapons. It is believed that due to regional tensions, the demand for military equipment procurement in Middle Eastern countries continues to remain at a high level. Among them, Israel's military procurement mainly comes from the United States, with a focus on precision strike weapons to counter air threats such as drones, including AIM-120C air-to-air missiles, AGM-114 Hellfire anti tank missiles, and Joint Direct Attack Bombs. In addition, Israel has signed a $5.2 billion contract with the United States to purchase 25 F-15IA fighter jets. It is worth noting that the Middle East has long been an important region for the United States and Russia to compete for market share and influence in weapons and equipment. At present, the pattern of the US Russia rivalry is undergoing significant changes. For example, in September 2024, Iraq signed a $2.8 billion agreement with South Korea to purchase a medium range surface to air missile defense system, making it Iraq's largest military purchase order of the year. In addition, countries in the Middle East continue to accelerate the pace of defense independence. In November 2024, Türkiye's Defense Minister Yashar Guler announced that Türkiye will reduce the procurement scale of American F-16 fighters, and the upgrading of old F-16 fighters in service will be completed by local military enterprises. Asia Pacific countries are vigorously promoting military modernization. Among the top ten on the list, three Asia Pacific countries, India, South Korea, and Indonesia, have made it to the list. Among them, India ranks third on the list with an import value of 9.41 billion US dollars. Data shows that in 2024, India's import expenditure reached its highest level in nearly four years, with key procurement projects including the purchase of 31 MQ-9B drones from the United States, with a contract value of $3.5 billion. According to foreign media reports, India's military modernization pace will further accelerate by 2025. On the one hand, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated during his visit to Russia at the end of 2024 that India has started discussions with Russia on a $4 billion military procurement contract, planning to introduce the Russian made "Voronezh" series of strategic early warning radar systems. On the other hand, on March 28th of this year, India announced a $7.3 billion agreement to purchase 156 locally manufactured "Prachand" light armed helicopters for the Air Force and Army as an important part of advancing its defense autonomy program. South Korea is also accelerating its layout in military modernization construction. In 2025, the total defense budget of South Korea will exceed KRW 60 trillion (approximately USD 43 billion) for the first time, reaching KRW 61.6 trillion, of which KRW 18.1 trillion will be used for weapons procurement and defense capability enhancement. The key procurement projects include spending 3.2 trillion Korean won to purchase strike platforms such as F-35A fighter jets, 1.53 trillion Korean won to develop long-range surface to air missile systems, and 1 trillion Korean won to promote the mass production of domestically produced KF-21 fighter jets. According to foreign media analysis, South Korea will continue to promote military modernization through a combination of outsourcing and self-developed models in the future. (New Society)