Textron Systems reports higher sales

Textron Systems, the unit within Textron that includes UAVs, command and control technology and logistics support, among other areas, said today that revenue in its most recent quarter increased $165 million -- or 51 percent -- compared to the prior year's quarter "primarily due to higher volumes in our Weapons and Sensors and Unmanned Systems product lines."

The unit's profit hit $60 million, well over the $21 million in profit the unit recorded in the same period the prior year.

At Bell Helicopter, also a Textron business, quarterly sales were down $46 million -- or 5 percent -- from last year. The company said it delivered the same number of V-22s and more H-1s than in the same period the prior year, but its commercial helicopter deliveries dropped. The unit's profit for the three-month period fell nearly 20 percent.