Lockheed Martin, the American giant of armament and aeronautics, closed the third quarter with a net profit of 1.845 billion dollars (about 1.650 billion euros), which implies an increase of 14% compared to the same period of the previous year.
The revenue of the defense group rose to 20.711 billion dollars (18.493 billion euros), 11.3% more than a year ago, while the operating result advanced by 12%, reaching 2.171 billion dollars (1.938 billion euros).
By areas of activity, the aeronautics division recorded revenues of 8.214 billion dollars (7.334 billion euros), 13% higher, and the missile and fire control systems business billed 4.501 billion dollars (4.020 billion euros), which represents a rise of 25%.
In parallel, the Rotary and Mission Systems segment reached a business figure of 4.511 billion dollars (4.027 billion euros), 3% more, while the aerospace branch increased its sales by 4%, reaching 3.485 billion dollars (3.111 billion euros).
The order book of Lockheed Martin soared by 27% compared to the previous quarter, reaching 292 billion dollars (260.715 billion euros).
Between January and September, the company obtained a net profit of 5.169 billion dollars (4.615 billion euros), 40% higher than in the same period of the previous fiscal year. The accumulated revenue in the first nine months reached 58.795 billion dollars (52.495 billion euros), which represents an advance of 7.4%.
Looking ahead to the whole year, Lockheed Martin has revised its forecasts upwards and now expects revenues of between 80 billion and 82 billion dollars (71.427 and 73.213 billion euros), along with an operating profit situated in the range of 8.575 to 8.675 billion dollars (7.656 and 7.745 billion euros).
"Our strong performance in the third quarter underscores Lockheed Martin's continued leadership in the development and delivery of advanced and reliable defense technology solutions. Daily, our research, engineering, and production teams implement highly effective and scalable capabilities on the ground," highlighted Jim Taiclet, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin.
Contract to supply up to 850 F-35 to the United States
The company announced this Thursday the signing of a macro agreement with the Government of the United States by which it commits to supply up to 850 F-35 fighters over the next ten years. Although the total amount of the contract has not been revealed, each aircraft could be around 100 million dollars (89.2 million euros).
Likewise, Lockheed Martin has advanced that it will allocate at least 7 billion dollars (6.248 billion euros) to initiatives aimed at supporting the F-35 program.
"We have radically transformed the way we stabilize the U.S. defense industrial base to produce quickly and at scale. This agreement with Lockheed Martin demonstrates that. By linking financial incentives with actual performance, we ensure that our fighters have the lethal capabilities necessary to fight and win," said the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense of the U.S., Michael Duffy.