Textron reported revenues at Textron Aviation were up $266 million, primarily reflecting the impact of the Beechcraft acquisition.

The Aviation business recorded a segment profit of $67 million in the first quarter compared to $14 million a year ago. Textron said the increase was primarily due to improved performance, reflecting the impact of the Beechcraft acquisition, and higher volumes.

Textron noted the Aviation unit delivered 33 new jets in the quarter, compared to 35 jets in last year’s first quarter, and 25 King Air turboprops.

Textron’s Aviation backlog at the end of the first quarter was $1.3 billion, down $99 million from the end of the fourth quarter.

“Revenues at Textron Aviation and Industrial were up during the quarter, while revenues at Bell and Textron Systems were down, as we expected,” said Textron chairman and CEO Scott C. Donnelly . “Operationally, we achieved significant margin improvements at Textron Aviation and Industrial, reflecting strong performance in these segments.”
Donnelly continued, “While we expected military deliveries would be down at Bell this year, the medium segment of the commercial helicopter market remains soft. As a result, we are adjusting production levels and taking additional cost actions to allow Bell to perform within its targeted 2015 segment margin range of 11 to 12%.”