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Lockheed (LMT) Wins Contract to Aid CH-53K Helicopter Program

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Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (LMT - Free Report) business unit, Sikorsky, recently secured a contract involving the CH-53K helicopter. The award has been offered by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD.  

Details of the Deal

Valued at $79.7 million, the contract is expected to be completed by December 2028. Per the terms of the deal, Lockheed will deliver updated logistics analysis and products to support configuration changes on the CH-53K helicopter.

The company will also provide for the development and delivery of new intermediate and depot component repair capability, and all analysis, products, and services related to gearboxes, the Air Data Computer, and aircraft hoses and tubes.

Majority of the work related to this deal will be carried out in Stratford, CT.

What’s Favoring Lockheed?

Impressively, the CH-53K King Stallion advances Sikorsky’s 50 years of manufacturing and operational success with its CH-53A, CH-53D/G and CH-53E predecessors. Built to thrive on the modern battlefield, including shipboard operations, the CH-53K aircraft is designed to be intelligent, reliable, low maintenance and survivable in the most austere and remote forward operating bases.

More than 1,200 test flight hours have been flown for this helicopter. Moreover, the CH-53K has achieved certain milestones in 2018, including high altitude, hot temperature and degraded visual environment flights.

Such remarkable features of CH-53K must have been driving its demand and, in turn, ushering in contract flows for LMT, like the latest one. These contract flows should boost LMT’s revenues in the coming quarters.

Growth Prospects

In recent times, U.S. military helicopters have gained prominence and significant traction due to advancements and integration of new tactical, logistical and other important features. Some of these developments can be attributed to Lockheed paving the way for securing valuable helicopter-related contracts of late. The recent contract win is a bright example of that.

Looking ahead, rising geopolitical and cross-border conflicts prevalent across the globe have forced nations to increase their defense spending toward procuring new aircraft and helicopters to enhance their aerial capabilities. Per a report from Mordor Intelligence, the military rotorcraft market is likely to witness a CAGR of more than 4% during the 2023-2028 period.

This should significantly boost Lockheed as the company enjoys a dominant position in the military helicopter market with its portfolio containing programs like e Black Hawk, Seahawk and CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters.

Peer Prospects

Other defense companies that may enjoy the perks of the expanding military helicopter market have been discussed below.

The Boeing Company (BA - Free Report) : Its Defense, Space & Security segment’s primary products include fixed-wing military aircraft, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-15 programs, P-8 programs, KC-46A Tanker and T-7A Red Hawk. This segment also produces rotorcraft and rotary-wing programs, such as CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache and V-22 Osprey.

Boeing has a long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate of 4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2023 sales indicates an improvement of 15.4% from the 2022 reported figure.

Airbus Group (EADSY - Free Report) : It is one of the world's largest suppliers of advanced military helicopters. EADSY’s product portfolio includes the H135 combat helicopter, the H145M helicopter, AS565 MBe, H160M, H175M, H215M, H225M and a few more.

The company’s long-term earnings growth rate is 12.4%. The consensus estimate for 2023 sales indicates an improvement of 12.9% from the 2022 reported figure.

Textron (TXT - Free Report) : Its business unit, Textron Aviation Defense, designs, builds and supports versatile and globally known military helicopters, preferred for training and attack missions. Some of Textron’s renowned products are the Beechcraft T-6C trainer and the AT-6 Wolverine.

TXT boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.7%. The consensus mark for 2023 sales indicates an improvement of 6.4% from the 2022 reported figure.

Price Movement

In the past three months, shares of Lockheed have risen 10.1% compared with the industry’s growth of 12.1%.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Rank

Lockheed 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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