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Lockheed Martin Secures a $266M Contract to Aid F-16 Jet Program

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Lockheed Martin Corporation’s (LMT - Free Report) Aeronautics business segment recently clinched a modification contract to support the F-16 jet program. The award has been provided by the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, F-16 FMS Contracting Division, Hill Air Force Base, UT.

Details of LMT’s Deal

Valued at $266 million, the contract is expected to be completed by March 31, 2032. Per the terms of the deal, Lockheed Martin will provide operational flight program updates and transfer F-16 aircraft from Denmark to Argentina.

This contract includes foreign military sales to Argentina. The work related to this deal will be executed in Fort Worth, TX, Denmark and Argentina.

LMT Stock’s Growth Potential

Rising military conflicts, terrorism and border disputes, along with rapid technological advancements in combat jets, have led nations to increase their defense spending on combat-proven jets, which constitute an integral part of their defense structure.

This is likely to have prompted the Mordor Intelligence firm to forecast a compound annual growth rate of 4.7% for the military aviation market during the 2025-2030 period.

Such strong market prospects drive growth opportunities for Lockheed Martin, backed by its robust portfolio of combat jets, including F-21, F-2 Support Fighter, F-35 and F-22 Raptor, in addition to the F-16 jets. Notably, such a wide range of military aircraft in its portfolio enables the company to secure valuable contracts like the latest one, which, in turn, should bolster its future revenue prospects.

In particular, LMT’s F-16 Fighting Falcon is a combat-proven multi-role fighter jet that enjoys a solid presence in the military aviation market. The current backlog of the F-16 Block 70/72 program is 117 aircraft to be produced in Greenville, with 23 already delivered for international partners.

Opportunities for LMT’s Peers

Other aerospace companies that are likely to benefit from the expanding global military aviation market are discussed below:

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC - Free Report) : Northrop is a provider of manned and unmanned combat air systems. It builds some of the world’s most advanced aircraft like the E-2C Hawkeye 2000, A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-5 Tiger Fighter Jet and many more.

Northrop has a long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate of 4.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NOC’s 2025 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 3%.

Embraer (ERJ - Free Report) : The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of the most advanced aircraft in the combat market, which includes the A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advanced trainer and the C-390 Millennium military multi-mission aircraft.

ERJ delivered an average earnings surprise of 138.39% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ERJ’s 2025 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 15.1%.

The Boeing Company (BA - Free Report) : The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of the most advanced aircraft in the combat market, which includes F/A-18 Super Hornet, P-8, F-15EX, CH-47 Chinook, Chinook Block II, EA-18G Growler and a few more.

Boeing boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 17.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BA’s 2025 sales implies an improvement of 25.6% from the prior-year number.

LMT Stock Price Movement

Shares of Lockheed Martin have gained 7.8% in the past month against the industry’s 1% decline.

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LMT’s 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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