Textron Inks Deal With Thai Aviation to Aid Royal Thai Air Force

Textron Inc.’s TXT business segment, Textron Aviation, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Thai Aviation Industries Co. Ltd. to collaborate on a Royal Thai Air Force (“RTAF”) sustainment program. This initiative will support RTAF's fleets of Beechcraft T-6TH and AT-6TH aircraft.

The collaboration's objective is to offer long-term support and sustainment for RTAF aircraft, providing a high level of readiness for training and light-assault missions. The deal showcases both the company's strengths, with Textron Aviation Defense contributing expertise as the aircraft's original equipment manufacturer.

Following the news release, the company's share price rose 1.16% to reach $77.50 on June 3, 2025.

Textron’s Proficiency in Military Aviation

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.

Textron Aviation Defense designs, builds and supports a wide range of military aircraft, including the Beechcraft T-6 training aircraft and the Beechcraft AT-6 light-attack aircraft. For more than 80 years, the company has supported the U.S. Armed Forces, delivering more than 14,500 aircraft to forces around the globe.

The Beechcraft T-6C Texan II military training aircraft is a next-generation military trainer suitable for all levels of instruction. The model T-6C is designed to prepare pilots for real-world operations and has a wide variety of capabilities. 

TXT's AT-6 Wolverine is a multi-mission light-attack aircraft designed to suit a wide range of warfighter requirements while accommodating 95% of the aircrew population. Its extensive arsenal is unmatched by other light-attack aircraft.

Such features must have been attracting nations to select TXT’s military jets for their defense arsenal.

Opportunities for Other Aerospace Stocks

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

Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC: It is a leading provider of manned and unmanned air systems. It builds some of the world’s most advanced aircraft, like the E-2C Hawkeye 2000, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, F-5 Tiger Fighter Jet and many more.

Northrop has a long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate of 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NOC’s 2025 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 2.8%.

Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT: The company is among the leaders in the combat aircraft space, with its product portfolio constituting some of the most advanced military aircraft, such as the F-35 Lightning II, F-21, F-22 Raptor and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Lockheed boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 10.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LMT’s 2025 sales implies an improvement of 4.7%.

Embraer S.A. ERJ: The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of the most advanced aircraft in the combat market, which includes the A-29 Super Tucano, P600 AEW&C and the C-390 Millennium military multi-mission aircraft.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ERJ’s 2025 sales indicates growth of 15.4%. The company delivered an average earnings surprise of 150.60% in the last four quarters.

TXT Stock Price Movement

In the past month, shares of Textron have risen 6.3% compared with the industry’s growth of 4.8%.

TXT’s Zacks Rank

Textron 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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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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