By Mike Stone and Aishwarya Jain
July 21 (Reuters) – Defense supplier Northrop Grumman on Tuesday lifted its 2026 sales and adjusted profit forecast, supported by sustained demand for weapons amid a wave of global geopolitical conflicts.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing defense companies to expand manufacturing capacity and boost weapons production as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East drain the country's stockpiles.
The U.S. has expended more than 50,000 rockets, missiles and other rocket-propelled projectiles since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 through the war with Iran, according to data from the Pentagon.
Trump has also proposed a record $1.5 trillion military budget for fiscal year 2027, far exceeding the $901 billion approved for 2026.
Northrop's largest revenue segment, Aeronautics, posted a 13% increase in second-quarter sales compared with a year earlier, driven by strong performance in the B-21 Raider program and other classified programs.
The B-21 Raider, a nuclear-capable long-range strike aircraft, received a major production boost in February, when Northrop signed an Air Force agreement expanding production capacity by 25%, with the first delivery set for 2027.
Revenue in Northrop's defense systems business rose 5%, helped by strong sales in its Sentinel program, the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.
However, operating income in the defense business fell 38% as the company spends more to develop and qualify its air-to-surface missile, Stand-in Attack Weapon and mature production for the long-range version of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile.
Northrop lifted its 2026 revenue forecast by $250 million to a range of $43.75 billion to $44.25 billion, roughly in line with Wall Street estimates, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Excluding items, the company now expects 2026 profit between $28.60 and $29.10 per share, compared to a prior range of $27.40 to $27.90 apiece.
The Falls Church, Virginia-based company reported total sales of $10.88 billion for the quarter ended June 30, higher than the $10.35 billion it posted a year earlier. Its total backlog rose 9% to $104.7 billion during the period.
Its per-share quarterly profit stood at $7.68, compared with $8.15 a year earlier, with the latter including a $1.04 benefit from the divestiture of Northrop's training services business.
(Reporting by Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda)
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