Growth in defence sales to emerge from Asia-Pacific: Boeing

Singapore: Global aerospace and defence giant and the Pentagon's second largest defence contractor, Boeing Co, says growth in sales for defence equipment and systems was going to emerge from the Asia-Pacific region. Demand would include a range of equipment, from fighter aircraft to submarines.

"We have seen demand for tactical aircraft, for helicopters, for airborne early warning control and also for command and control systems," Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing's Integrated Defence Systems, told reporters in Singapore.

The island city is hosting the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual conference of regional defence ministers and military chiefs. Defence contractors also gather in the city ahead of the high powered regional meet.

The meeting, organised by a think-tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, gets its name from the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore where the meeting is held. It has been held since 2002 and this is now its eighth edition.

"I think a lot of countries in Asia, in a threat environment that they live in and the economy that they now enjoy, are going to be doing more to protect their trade routes and their borders. Those markets are expanding," Albaugh said.

He pointed out that international sales made up about 16 per cent of Boeing's $34 billion annual revenue and this figure could rise to at least 20 per cent over the next five years.