Key Takeaways Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman compete for major defense contracts amid rising global tensions.LMT holds $193.6B backlog, with the F-35 program contributing 27% to its 2025 sales.Northrop Grumman has $95.68B backlog, with strong demand for advanced defense systems globally.Geopolitical instability across the globe has been a major catalyst for the growth of defense giants, such as Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Northrop Grumman (NOC) . Both are leading U.S. aerospace & defense contractors tha ...