What Happened
Defense Contractors See Record Backlogs As Geopolitical Tensions Rise
Northrop Grumman and RTX have raised their 2026 profit forecasts due to strong military demand, which has pushed their backlogs to record levels. Commercial aerospace demand has also remained strong, with RTX’s Raytheon business seeing a 14 percent sales increase. The results reflect sustained military spending and continued airline spending on maintenance and parts. According to the Irish Sun, Northrop’s backlog reached a record $109.6 billion, while RTX’s backlog reached $340 billion.