Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.’s HII business unit, Newport News, recently secured a deal to work on facility upgrade requirements for the Nimitz class aircraft carrier’s defueling and inactivation and support of Ford-class aircraft carriers.

Valued at $54 million, the contract is expected to be completed by September 2027. The work related to this contract will be executed in Newport News, VA.

HII's Expertise in Naval Defense

An aircraft carrier plays a critical role in a nation’s ability to effectively command, control and coordinate its naval operations, protecting its onshore territory. With the United States being a stalwart in the global defense map, its naval power has been formidable.

Huntington Ingalls’ Newport News unit has designed and built more than 31 aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy since 1933, including all 10 Nimitz class (CVN 68) aircraft carriers currently in active service and the first ship of the next-generation Gerald R. Ford class (CVN 78) aircraft carriers.

To strengthen its position in the U.S. naval defense space, HII is currently building the next generation of aircraft carriers — the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier. With new software-controlled electromagnetic catapults and weapons elevators, these aircraft carriers are upgraded to address current threats and are truly designed for the 21st century and beyond.

With more than 135 years of experience in building naval ships and aircraft carriers, Huntington Ingalls maintains a consistent flow of orders, like the latest one, which boosts its revenue generation prospects.

HII’s Growth Prospects

With increasing geopolitical issues and territorial disputes in recent times, nations are fortifying their naval capacity. This has led to augmented spending on naval ships, including aircraft carriers, for enhanced sea warfare capabilities.

Mordor Intelligence projects the Aircraft Carrier Ship market to witness a CAGR of 12.8% in the 2024-2029 period. Such market projections are likely to benefit Huntington Ingalls, America’s largest shipbuilder and the nation’s sole designer and builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

Opportunities for Other Defense Companies

Apart from HII, defense players that can gain from the expanding aircraft carrier ship market are discussed below:

General Dynamics Corporation GD: In September 2024, General Dynamics announced that its NASSCO unit christened and launched the USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209), the fifth ship in the fleet oiler program for the U.S. Navy. These ships are designed to transfer fuel to the U.S. Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea.

GD has a long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate of 11.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2024 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 13%.

BAE Systems BAESY: The company designs, builds, commissions, repairs and services a wide range of complex navy ships, from offshore patrol vessels to aircraft carriers. Its Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers are the largest warships ever constructed in the United Kingdom.

BAESY has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2024 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 37.3%.

Lockheed Martin LMT: The company offers the AN/SLQ-32 systems on U.S. aircraft carriers to determine if its potential foes are tracking the ships using electronic sensors. The system provides early detection, analysis, threat warning and protection from anti-ship missiles.

LMT has a long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate of 4.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2024 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 5.5%.