As global crises push nations to rearm with advanced military technologies, Dun & Bradstreet’s Duns 100 index has published Israel’s first comprehensive ranking of defense-industry companies, mapping 60 firms across the country’s expanding defense-tech ecosystem.
The rankings span six categories: defense integrators, defense manufacturing, unmanned and autonomous systems, homeland security, intelligence and cyber, and tactical and ground equipment.
Of the 60 ranked companies, 23 belong to the defense industry and manufacturing category, and another 19 are classified under unmanned and autonomous systems, showing the central focus of Israel’s defense-tech ecosystem.
The list highlights both established industry leaders and emerging start-ups that have been reshaping Israel’s defense landscape. Elbit Systems, Plasan Sasa, Aeronautics, Magal, Cellebrite, and Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) lead their respective categories.
Among the companies ranked by Duns 100 are Aeronautics, D-Fend Solutions, ThirdEye Systems, Parazero Technologies, High Lander Aviation, Controp Precision Technologies, Bagira, Cellebrite, Smart Shooter, and MeproLight. The companies focus on autonomy, unmanned systems, operational AI, robotics, advanced sensing, data processing, and tactical logistics.
Alongside the main ranking, Duns 100 introduced the Emerging Industry Leaders Award, recognizing companies positioned to significantly influence the future of Israel’s defense sector. This year’s recipients were Aero Sentinel, AIR VEV, Axon Vision, Kela AI, and XTEND. According to Duns 100, these companies provide solutions that are central to modern battlefield transformation.
According to Duns 100 – the world's largest business information company – the methodology behind the ranking combines quantitative and qualitative indicators, including business strength, technological innovation, global activity, positioning within the defense value chain, and operational relevance. Companies were assessed relative to their field and stage of development, allowing comparisons across diverse segments of the industry.
Shift in the defense sector
Sheila Zavaro Weiss, senior director at Duns 100, said the new index reflects a shift in how Israel’s defense sector should be understood. According to her, the industry is no longer defined solely by traditional manufacturing but by a broader defense-tech model.
"For the first time, we are unveiling a dedicated ranking of Israel's defense industry companies – a move designed to map the Israeli defense ecosystem broadly and on a data-driven basis,” she said.
“The ranking reflects a profound shift in how the industry should be viewed: not merely as an industry that manufactures systems and components but as a broad defense-tech ecosystem in which value is created through the integration of industrial capabilities, software, data, AI, autonomy, sensors, and operational relevance. In this sense, the ranking does more than show who operates in the field – it signals how Israel's defense industry is evolving and where it is heading."
Data collected for the ranking show that Israel’s defense ecosystem extends far beyond its three largest corporations. Of the 60 companies listed, 23 operate in defense manufacturing and 19 in unmanned and autonomous systems. Together, they represent roughly 70% of the ranking, underscoring the central role of advanced production capabilities and next-generation technologies.
Many of the companies ranked on the list operate extensively overseas, with exports accounting for significant portions of revenue – sometimes approaching 90% – highlighting Israel’s growing presence in the global defense market.
In June, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced that the country’s defense export for 2025 was at $19.2 billion – a record broken for the fifth consecutive year and a surge of nearly 30% compared to 2024. Over half of the deals (53%) were valued at $100 million or more each.
The director-general of the Defense Ministry, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, was quoted as saying at the time that “the sharp surge in defense exports reflects the quality of Israel’s defense industry, global demand, the IDF’s operational successes, and our unique ecosystem.”
The list released by Duns 100 comes shortly after it was announced that Israeli defense-tech start-ups working with the Defense Ministry raised nearly $3 billion in the first six months of 2026.
According to figures presented at the Haifa DefenseTech Startups and Investors Forum, the amount is three times the $1b. raised during all of 2025.
During the same period, defense-tech and dual-use companies accounted for almost 30% of the $8.4b. in private investment in Israel’s hi-tech sector. Approximately 800 start-ups are currently fulfilling direct procurement orders for the ministry.