Thales first-quarter sales jump nearly 10% as defence deliveries surge

Europe’s largest defence technology group Thales on Tuesday reported first-quarter sales well above analyst forecasts, with revenues rising nearly 10% organically driven by surging defence deliveries.

The group posted quarterly sales of 5.32 billion euros ($6,27 billion), ‌up 9.7% ⁠organically ⁠from a year ago, as its defence division, which alone accounted for more than half of total sales, benefited from capacity expansion projects deployed in recent years that lifted delivery rates across its entire portfolio.