Lockheed (LMT) Wins Deal to Support F-35 Fighter Jet Program

Lockheed Martin Corp.’s LMT business segment, Aeronautics, recently clinched a modification contract involving F-35 fighter jets. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD offered the award.

Details of the Deal

Valued at $53.1 million, the contract is projected to get completed by January 2025. Per the terms, Lockheed will provide non-recurring engineering, delivery and installation of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Pilot Training and Maintainer Training technical refresh hardware.

The majority of the work related to this deal will be carried out in Orlando, FL.

F-35 to Remain a Growth Driver

The recent tiff between Russia and Ukraine led to nations increasing their defense spending on military equipment and arsenals. Military aircraft with multi-mission capabilities make an integral part of any efficient defense system.
Lockheed Martin enjoys a dominant position in the global military aircraft space given its strong F-35 fleet. This stealth aircraft boasts features that make it an ideal choice for many nations. Moreover, LMT’s constant efforts to modernize and upgrade the aircraft with advanced technologies and enhance its capabilities to meet the current warfare needs boost demand significantly.

The F-35 program remained the largest revenue generator for its Aeronautics business unit and accounted for 68% of Aeronautics’ net sales in 2021.

The stealth aircraft is expected to witness a continued upswing in its demand as the U.S. government’s current inventory objective is pegged at 2,456 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. The company anticipates delivering 148-153 aircraft in 2022 while expecting deliveries to grow to 156 aircraft in 2023 and beyond.

Due to F-35’s remarkable features, which are well-suited for any military mission, Lockheed Martin continues to witness a steady inflow of orders involving the jet. The latest contract win is a testament to that. This, in turn, should bolster LMT’s revenues from the military aircraft arena.

Growth Prospects

Per Mordor Intelligence projections, the global military aircraft market is expected to witness a CAGR of more than 4% during 2022-2031. Such projections indicate immense opportunities for Lockheed Martin to further reap the benefits of military aircraft market expansion.

Prominent defense majors that are involved in the manufacturing of military aircraft are Northrop Grumman NOC, Airbus Group EADSY and Textron TXT.

Since its inception, Northrop Grumman has been a pioneer in the development of manned aircraft. From fighter jets and stealth bombers to surveillance and electronic warfare, Northrop Grumman has been providing manned solutions to customers worldwide. It has built some of the world’s most advanced aircraft, ranging from the innovative B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to the game-changing E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

Northrop Grumman has a long-term earnings growth rate of 6.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NOC’s 2022 sales indicates an improvement of 2.6% from 2021’s reported figure.

Airbus Group’s military aircraft comprises the A400M, the C295 tactical transporter, the new-generation A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport and the Eurofighter, the most modern swing-role fighter ever conceived.

Airbus Group’s long-term earnings growth rate is pegged at 12.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EADSY’s 2022 sales indicates growth of 3% from the prior year reported figure.

Textron’s military aircraft includes the Beechcraft T-6 training aircraft and the Beechcraft AT-6 light attack aircraft. The company also manufactures the Beechcraft Model 18 light bomber, the T-44 and T-34 training aircraft, and the T-1A jet trainer.

Textron boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 12.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TXT’s 2022 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 8.2% from the prior year reported figure.

Price Movement

In the past year, shares of Lockheed Martin have gained 10.6% against the industry’s decline of 42.8%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Rank

Lockheed Martin currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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