The main aim of this article is to describe the historical development of the weapon production
and defence industrial base of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, simultaneously the
authors try to point out the importance of weapon production and defence industrial base
as a component of the economic security of a state. The article is divided into three parts;
each part delivers a picture of the extent, structure and position of weapon production
and the defence industrial base in separate timeline phases of both the Czechoslovak
and Czech nation. The first period shows Czechoslovakia as an important representative
of the international arms trade. The second period characterizes Czechoslovak weapon
production under the condition of the strong influence of the Warsaw pact and the Council
for Mutual Economic Assistance. The third part describes Czech arms production during
dynamic changes after the cessation of the bi-polar system. In the conclusion of the article,
the authors underline the idea of the importance of weapon production as the tool of
economic security