Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) facility  Axel Heimken/Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems
Naval Submersibles

Robust defence demand sends TKMS order backlog to all-time $24b high

Reuters

TKMS's order backlog hit a fresh record, the German warship builder said on Monday, as demand for weapons continues to surge across European to cut military dependence on the US.

TKMS, which is majority-owned by German engineering conglomerate Thyssenkrupp, has been riding a boom in defence stocks following a stock market listing in October.

"The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the military conflicts in the Middle East between Israel, the US and Iran have led to a permanent increase in global defence spending," the company said in its quarterly report.

Its order backlog rose to €20.6 billion ($24.2 billion) at the end of March, up from 18.7 billion at the end of December, the company said. The submarine and sonar technology divisions helped it to post higher-than-expected first-half sales and profits, it added.

Adjusted operating profit during the six months through March rose 13.2 per cent to €60 million, while sales climbed 10.2 per cent to €1.17 billion. Analysts in a company-provided poll had, on average, expected operating profit of €59 million and sales of €1.10 billion.

Shares in the company, which have gained nearly one fifth year-to-date, were indicated to open 2.2 per cent in pre-market trade at 05:38 GMT.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz Editing by Ludwig Burger)