By Mike Stone and Aishwarya Jain
July 23 (Reuters) – Defense giant Lockheed Martin lifted its 2026 sales and profit forecasts on Thursday as the Pentagon looks to replenish weapons stockpiles amid a wave of global conflicts.
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Shares of the company rose 5.3% in premarket trading.
President Donald Trump has been urging defense contractors to increase production as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and a prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict drain the Pentagon’s inventory.
Revenue for Lockheed’s missiles and fire control business rose nearly 20% to $4.1 billion, driven by a production ramp-up of its PAC-3 and Precision Strike missiles, both of which have been used in the war on Iran in the last few months.
The segment was also helped by higher production of its THAAD missile interceptors, after the company signed a $35 billion contract with the U.S. government in June to quadruple output.
Demand is expected to remain strong as the U.S. has used more than 50,000 rockets, missiles and rocket-propelled munitions since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 through the U.S. attack on Iran, according to Pentagon data.
“We’re in active dialog looking at other potential opportunities. We do see a real opportunity here for more partnerships to scale production faster, particularly in Europe,” CFO Evan Scott said on a call with Reuters.
Sales in Lockheed’s aeronautics segment also rose 9%, partly supported by higher production volume and sales of its F-35 stealth fighters. The F-35 is the Pentagon’s largest acquisition program, with lifetime costs estimated at more than $2 trillion to purchase, operate and sustain the aircraft.
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Lockheed’s total backlog grew to $230.4 billion, up 38.3% from $166.5 billion last year.
It expects 2026 revenue between $79.75 billion and $81.75 billion, higher than the previous forecast range of $77.5 billion to $80 billion. Analysts on average expect $79.14 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
It now expects full-year per-share profit of $29.95 to $30.65, compared with its earlier projection of $29.35 to $30.25, and higher than Wall Street estimates of $29.90.
The Bethesda, Maryland-based company reported a second-quarter profit of $7.94 per share, compared with $1.46 apiece last year, when it was hit by a $1.6 billion charge due to difficulties in the Aeronautics unit and international helicopter programs in its Sikorsky segment.
(Reporting by Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and Chizu Nomiyama )
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