JERUSALEM, March 18 (Reuters) - Israel's largest defence

firm Elbit Systems reported stronger quarterly profit,

boosted by higher revenue to Israel's military during its war

against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Elbit said on Tuesday it earned $2.66 per diluted

share excluding one-time items in the fourth quarter of 2024, up

from $1.56 a year earlier. Analysts had expected EPS of $1.95,

according to LSEG data.

Boosted by a 27% rise in aerospace sales, largely of drones

to Israel and European customers, revenue rose to $1.93 billion

from $1.63 billion.

More than 30% of Elbit's revenue came from Israel, where the

country has been fighting Hamas since October 7, 2023.

For full-year 2024, Elbit made adjusted profit of $8.76 per

diluted share, compared with $6.70 a share in 2023. Revenue rose

14% to $6.83 billion.

Its backlog of orders reached $22.6 billion in 2024, versus

$17.8 billion in 2023. Some 65% of the backlog is from outside

Israel, while 57% of the orders are scheduled to be fulfilled

during 2025 and 2026.

"Since the commencement of the war, Elbit Systems has

experienced a material increased demand for its products and

solutions from the Israel Ministry of Defense," it said.

"At the same time, the company and its subsidiaries around

the world continued to conduct their business in international

markets."

Elbit said it would pay a quarterly dividend of 60 cents a

share, up from 50 cents a share in the third quarter.