The top 100 Italian defense corporations earn an average of 43 thousand euros in net profits per day and ended 2023 with a record 1.6 billion in profits, up 11% from 2021 (the last balance sheet before Russia's war on Kiev). A growth fueled by the sector's boom, which, following the onset of the war in Ukraine and later the Middle East crisis, continues to pique the market's and investors' attention. Thus, in 2023, global defense spending attained an all-time high of $2,443 billion, equivalent to $306 billion per person. These figures, analyzed at both the Italian and international levels by Mediobanca’s research division, highlight Italy’s prominent role in the global defense industry. Italy boasts two major players—Leonardo and Fincantieri—ranked ninth and thirty-first globally in terms of revenue (€11.5 billion and €2 billion, respectively). Among the 40 multinational companies with individual revenues exceeding €1 billion identified by Mediobanca, 17 are based in Europe, 16 in the United States, and seven in the Middle East and Asia. The sector is dominated by American groups, which accounted for 68% of global defense revenue in 2023. In contrast, the two Italian giants represented 14% of Europe’s defense revenue and 4% of the global total.