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Guide

What are Significant Military Equipment and Major Defense Equipment?

Updated 26 September 2026Checked against the SAMM: 12 September 2026

is the set of U.S. items marked with an asterisk, which carry stricter export controls because of their military utility. whose research and development or production cost passes a threshold set in law is . Both are sold on Defined Order cases, each on its own line.

Significant Military Equipment and Major Defense Equipment

The U.S. () is included in part 121 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (). Items highlighted with an asterisk on the require increased export controls because of their capacity for special military utility or capability. These items are called .

Items of having a nonrecurring research and development cost of more than $50 million or a total production cost of more than $200 million are called . Appendix 1 of the identifies items and provides an associated prorated nonrecurring cost for each.

A is most commonly used for the sale of , generally , which require more rigorous export and trade security controls throughout the process. items and , must be separately reflected on the case documents and not embedded in other lines.

References

Drawn exclusively from publicly available authorities.

SAMM

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