ARMS manufacturer BAE Systems’ profits soared by £186 million last year, the company revealed yesterday.

Its latest accounts record a total operating profit of more than £1.6 billion.

The bumper financial results prompted campaigners to accuse the firm of cashing in on the bombing of Yemen.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said: “The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the worst in the world, and BAE Systems has profited every step of the way.

“Its weapons have played a central role in the destruction.”

CAAT spokesman Andrew Smith added: “No matter how many people have been killed in Yemen, the arms sales have continued unabated.”

The company is a major supplier for the Saudi air force, a fact highlighted in the company’s annual report.

BAE reminded investors that Saudi planned the “purchase of a further 48 Typhoon aircraft,” which it uses to bomb Yemen.

The firm also has contracts to supply several other Gulf monarchies with weaponry.

Qatar has signed a contract with BAE for 24 Typhoon jets and nine Hawk aircraft, while the company has delivered 12 Typhoons to Oman.

As a result of all these deals, the company’s revenue rocketed by £8bn last year to over £28bn.

That figure includes £3.2bn worth of support services for Saudi’s Typhoons up to 2022.

However, BAE does appear concerned at a recent decision by the German government to ban arms sales to Riyadh in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.

BAE works in partnership with Germany and other European countries to make combat planes for the Saudi military, so the company noted that the “German government position on export licensing may affect the group’s ability to provide capability to Saudi Arabia, which may have a consequential impact on the group’s financial performance and relationships.”