Adds CFO comment in paragraph 7, analyst comparisons in paragraph 12

By Mike Stone and Aishwarya Jain

July 23 (Reuters) - RTX RTX.N raised its 2026 sales and profit forecasts on Thursday, betting on sustained demand for commercial aircraft maintenance and military systems, as airlines keep older jets flying and governments replenish weapons stockpiles.

Shares of the company rose 6% in premarket trading in New York.

The Arlington, Virginia-based aerospace and defense company said its backlog rose 22% in the second quarter from a year earlier to $289 billion, including $170 billion in commercial aerospace orders and $119 billion in defense.

Demand for maintenance, repair and overhaul services has remained strong as shortages of new commercial aircraft, caused by supply-chain snags and delayed deliveries, have forced airlines to rely longer on older, more expensive fleets.

RTX's Pratt & Whitney unit, which makes engines for Airbus AIR.PA A320neo-family jets and Lockheed Martin's LMT.N F-35 fighter, reported a 16% rise in sales in April-June to $8.89 billion.

Sales at the Raytheon defense business rose 18% in the second quarter to $8.27 billion, helped by demand for air and missile defense systems, including Patriot, Standard and AMRAAM missiles.

"About half of (Raytheon's) bookings in the first half of the year, $10 billion came from international customers. Of that $10 billion, $7 billion came from European customers," RTX Chief Financial Officer Neil Mitchill said on a call with Reuters.

Defense contractors have benefited from elevated global security spending as the Pentagon and allied governments seek to rebuild inventories depleted by conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and elsewhere.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged defense companies to increase output and expand factory capacity, while proposing a record $1.5 trillion military budget for fiscal 2027.

RTX now expects 2026 adjusted sales to be in the range of $95 billion to $96 billion, up from $92.5 billion to $93.5 billion forecast earlier. Analysts on average expect $94.08, according to data compiled by LSEG.

The company forecast full-year adjusted profit of $7.10 to $7.25 per share, up from its prior outlook of $6.70 to $6.90. Wall Street had expected $6.92 per share.

RTX reported second-quarter adjusted profit of $1.89 per share, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.66 apiece. Its quarterly revenue of $24.71 billion also came in above estimates of $22.9 billion.