GD General Dynamics (GD) Q2 FY26 earnings call
General Dynamics delivered a superb second quarter, exceeding expectations across key financial metrics, driven by robust performance in Aerospace and Marine Systems. The company achieved record backlog and strong cash generation, enabling strategic investments and pension contributions. While some segments saw margin pressure due to mix, the overall outlook remains positive with increased full-year EPS guidance and continued focus on operational improvements and strategic growth areas like AI and international defense.
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GD operating KPIs by quarter
| KPI | Mar 2025 Q1 FY25 | Dec 2025 Q4 FY25 | Mar 2026 Q1 FY26 | This call Jun 2026 Q2 FY26 | Change vs prior quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orders | $10B+We had a solid quarter with over $10 billion of orders.Source: earnings call transcript | — | $26B+We received over $26 billion of orders achieving an overall book-to-bill ratio of 2:1 even as revenue grew by over 10% from the year ago quarter.Source: earnings call transcript | — | — |
| Book-to-bill ratio Technologies | 1.1 ratioOrder activity was particularly strong in the Technologies group with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.1:1.Source: earnings call transcript | 0.9 ratioTotal orders for the group reached $15.9 billion, resulting in a book-to-bill of 0.9:1 for the quarter and 1.2x for the year.Source: earnings call transcript | 1.3 ratioThe group's order activity was also encouraging with a book-to-bill of 1.3x for the quarter and 1.2x for the trailing 12 months.Source: earnings call transcript | — | +44.4% |
| Book-to-bill ratio | <1 ratioOur overall book-to-bill ratio for the company was less than 1x due in part to the 14% increase in revenue from last year.Source: earnings call transcript | — | 2 ratioWe received over $26 billion of orders achieving an overall book-to-bill ratio of 2:1 even as revenue grew by over 10% from the year ago quarter.Source: earnings call transcript | 1.4 ratioWe had another strong quarter with just shy of $20 billion of orders, yielding an overall book-to-bill ratio of 1.4:1 for the company.Source: earnings call transcript | -30% |
| Backlog | $89BThis resulted in total backlog being slightly down from year-end to $89 billion at quarter end.Source: earnings call transcript | $118BThe robust demand across our portfolio resulted in finishing the year with a record total backlog of $118 billion, an astonishing 30% increase over last year.Source: earnings call transcript | $131BThe robust demand across our portfolio resulted in total backlog of $131 billion, an impressive 48% increase over last year and 11% higher than just a quarter ago.Source: earnings call transcript | $136.5BWe ended the quarter with a record level of backlog of $136.5 billion, up 32% from a year ago.Source: earnings call transcript | +4.2% |
| Total estimated contract value | $141B+Our total estimated contract value, which includes options and IDIQ contracts, ended the quarter at a little over $141 billion.Source: earnings call transcript | $179BTotal estimated contract value, which includes options and IDIQ contracts, ended the year also at a record level of $179 billion, a 24% increase from last year.Source: earnings call transcript | $188BTotal estimated contract value, which includes options and IDIQ contracts, ended the quarter at another record level of $188 billion, a 33% increase from last year.Source: earnings call transcript | $186.9BOur total estimated contract value, which includes options and IDIQ contracts ended the quarter at $186.9 billion.Source: earnings call transcript | -0.6% |
| Aircraft deliveries Aerospace | 36The 36 deliveries in the quarter are about as planned.Source: earnings call transcript | — | 38The 38 deliveries in the quarter are exactly as planned.Source: earnings call transcript | 41The 41 deliveries in the quarter are somewhat more than planned.Source: earnings call transcript | +7.9% |
| Book-to-bill ratio Aerospace | 0.8 ratioWe had a 0.8x book-to-bill in the quarter even as aircraft deliveries increased by 50%.Source: earnings call transcript | 1.3 ratioAerospace had a book-to-bill of 1.3x in the quarter and Gulfstream alone had an aircraft book-to-bill of 1.4x, even as deliveries increased significantly in the quarter.Source: earnings call transcript | 1.2 ratioWe had a 1.2 book-to-bill in the quarter with 17 more airplane orders than the year ago quarter.Source: earnings call transcript | 1.5 ratioIn aerospace, our dollar-based book-to-bill was 1.5x.Source: earnings call transcript | +25% |
| Backlog Combat Systems | $16.9BOrders in the quarter drove backlog to $16.9 billion, up $1.3 billion from this time a year ago.Source: earnings call transcript | $27.2BThis all rolls up to a total backlog of $27.2 billion and total estimated contract value of almost $42 billion.Source: earnings call transcript | — | — | +60.9% |
| Pipeline of qualified opportunities Technologies | $120BTheir pipeline of qualified opportunities remain strong at $120 billion, and their win and capture rates in the 80% range reflect the compelling value they're providing their customers.Source: earnings call transcript | <$120BThis, combined with a robust order pipeline of close to $120 billion of qualified opportunities, certainly presents a healthy market picture as we look forward.Source: earnings call transcript | — | — | — |
| Book-to-bill ratio Combat Systems | — | 4.3 ratioCombat saw robust order intake for the fourth quarter, resulting in book-to-bill of 4.3:1.Source: earnings call transcript | 0.9 ratioWe also experienced good order performance at 0.9:1 book-to-bill given the third and fourth quarters of 2025 book-to-bill of 2x and 4.3x, respectively.Source: earnings call transcript | 2.1 ratioIn the Defense segment, book-to-bill was 1.4x led by the Combat Systems segment at 2.1x, which received several large contracts, including the production of new armored combat support vehicles ACS for the Canadian Armed Forces.Source: earnings call transcript | +133.3% |
Operating figures the company stated on at least two of the calls shown, checked against each call's transcript. Click a figure to read the sentence. A dash means it was not stated that quarter.
Inve summary of the company's earnings call; see how call summaries are prepared. Not investment advice.