US Commerce-Aided Foreign Contracts Jump to $244 Billion in 2025 on Boeing Order Gains

Reuters

10:52 JST, January 24, 2026

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) – U.S. companies signed foreign government procurement contracts worth $244 billion in 2025 with assistance from the U.S. Commerce Department, nearly triple the total in 2024 as Boeing logged a massive increase in jetliner orders, the agency’s International Trade Administration said on Friday.

ITA said that the 121 contracts, also aided by foreign spending commitments in recent trade deals negotiated by the Trump administration, contain about $206 billion in U.S. export content and will support about 844,000 American jobs.

In 2024, the last year of the Biden administration, ITA logged $87 billion contracts signed, which was up significantly from a COVID-era low of $17 billion in 2021.

BOEING ORDERS SURGE

The jump for 2025 comes with a massive increase in Boeing jetliner net orders to 1,075 last year from 377 in 2024. Boeing in 2025 rebounded to its sixth-best order year ever and topped arch rival Airbus’ net orders for the first time in seven years as the U.S. export champion recovered from years of safety crises and production challenges.

Sales of Boeing planes and GE Aerospace GE.N jet engines made up $215 billion of the total ITA-assisted 2025 contracts, based on value estimates released by the Trump administration, with $187 billion in export value. The total included a record widebody jetliner deal with Qatar Airways for up to 210 787 and 777X aircraft valued by Commerce at $96 billion, including engines.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg signed the deal with President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during Trump’s visit to Doha in May. Trump has boasted that he’s the “greatest salesman in the history of Boeing.”

“Commerce’s support to Boeing was a differentiator in our achievement of record deals in 2025,” Ortberg said in a statement, adding that the agency’s teams provided “timely advocacy and insightful recommendations that advanced U.S. jobs and manufacturing.”

The Commerce aircraft total also includes a deal valued at $50 billion with Korean Air Lines that was billed as part of a U.S. trade and investment deal with the Asian exporter that reduced tariff rates and includes $350 billion in other investments.

Value estimates on announced aircraft orders are often based on list prices, but the final sale price of a jetliner can vary widely depending on myriad factors, such as the customer’s size and loyalty, delivery timing, long-term maintenance agreements, order volume and materials cost escalation terms.

Planemakers collect most of their payment when a jet is delivered, so Boeing will not see the bulk of the money from these orders until several years after Trump’s term ends in 2029.

‘LASER-FOCUS’ ON PROMOTING US INTERESTS

The Commerce Department’s totals only include signed contracts, so a number of preliminary Boeing purchase commitments announced last year by Malaysia, Bangladesh and other countries as part of trade negotiations would likely be counted in the 2026 totals if the contracts are finalized, an ITA spokesperson said.

“We are laser-focused on promoting investment, manufacturing, and new opportunities for American companies and workers,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement. “While 2025 was historic, it was just the beginning. We will continue to usher in a new era of American manufacturing and prosperity.”

The ITA’s Advocacy Center advises companies on bidding for foreign government procurement contracts, and often sets up meetings between foreign decision-makers and high-ranking U.S. officials to promote American firms, marshaling resources from various U.S. agencies.

WABTEC MADE ITS LARGEST FOREIGN SALE

U.S. locomotive maker Wabtec signed a $4.2 billion contract to supply 300 heavy-haul locomotive kits to Kazakhstan in September after an advocacy campaign that included a phone call between Trump and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the ITA said.

The Wabtec deal, its largest foreign sale ever, was among $8.3 billion in global infrastructure and supply chain projects won by U.S. companies in 2025, ITA said.

The agency said that the $244 billion total also includes $10 billion in defense sector contracts, $7 billion in energy sector contracts and $3.4 billion in technology sector contracts, including AI, cybersecurity, fintech and healthcare.