Earnings Call Transcript - VVX Q4 2023

Operator, Operator

Thank you for joining us for the V2X Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast. Today's call is being recorded. My name is Maria, and I'll be the operator for today's call. At this time, all participants have been placed in a listen-only mode. Following management's presentation, I will open the call up for a Q&A session. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. And now, I'll pass the call over to your host, Mike Smith, Vice President of Treasury, Investor Relations and Corporate Development at V2X. You may go ahead, sir.

Mike Smith, Vice President of Treasury, Investor Relations and Corporate Development

Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the V2X fourth quarter and full-year 2023 earnings conference call. Joining us today are Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Slides for today's presentation are available on the Investor Relations section of our website, gov2x.com. Please turn to slide two. During today's presentation, management will be making forward-looking statements pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Federal Securities Laws. Please review our Safe Harbor statements in our press release and presentation materials for a description of some of the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by these forward-looking statements. The company assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements. Additionally, I would like to point out that in addition to GAAP earnings, we will be discussing and reporting various adjusted non-GAAP metrics, including adjusted EBITDA and margin, adjusted operating cash flow, adjusted net income, and adjusted diluted earnings per share. The definition of these non-GAAP measures can be found in our presentation materials available on our Investor Relations website and in our press release filed with the SEC. At this time, I'd like to turn the call over to Chuck Prow.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Mike, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us on the call today. Please turn to slide three. Before we get started, I'd like to thank over 16,000 V2X employees for their contributions and in particular their performance during the fourth quarter to end 2023 on a high note. I just returned from a trip to the Middle East visiting our clients and people. The feedback I received from our clients underscores the unwavering service, agility, innovation, and technology-enabled solutions that we are delivering in support of their most critical missions. It's this around-the-clock, around-the-globe commitment to our clients that will drive our continued leadership and growth. Please turn to slide four. The transformation of V2X continues. Organic and inorganic growth, which improves scale, profitability, diversification, and capabilities has allowed us to emerge as a leader in the operational segment of the broader federal services marketplace. Our company is purpose-built across an expanded client, contract, and geographic footprint to deliver value in this market. Our market has witnessed significant structural changes in recent years and continues to rapidly evolve. We are advancing how missions are operated by leveraging converged and engineered solutions at the intersection of technology and operations. This includes modernization and sustainment support that elongates platform lifecycles while enhancing capabilities. These improved outcomes yield greater value for our clients and shareholders while providing greater opportunities for our people. Please turn to slide five. Top-line momentum extended into the fourth quarter with revenues once again exceeding $1 billion. This resulted in revenue growth of 6% year-over-year and 4% sequentially. Revenue for the full year increased 8% on a pro forma basis to $3.96 billion, which was also ahead of our guidance range. Revenue in the fourth quarter was driven by 31% year-over-year growth in the Pacific and 18% in the Middle East. Our work in the Pacific, or INDOPACOM, continued to expand, reaching $71.2 million, a record for V2X, and was particularly impressive given the Talisman Sabre exercises that occurred in the first half of this year. This is a testament to our team's ability to drive on-contract growth while further expanding our services and footprint in the region. Our growth in the Middle East was partially driven by increased scope and services with the Department of State. This expansion builds on our initial work awarded in early 2023 that represented our most substantive win with state. I recently had the opportunity to meet with our client and team supporting this effort and I am exceptionally pleased with how we have been able to deliver successful outcomes at speed and ahead of schedule for this critical operations and logistics effort. We remain excited about the opportunity to expand our relationship with this client through our global presence and capabilities that are ideally suited to support state's worldwide missions and strategy. The strong revenue performance in the quarter yielded solid profitability with adjusted EBITDA of $82.1 million, or 7.9% margin. For the year, adjusted EBITDA was $293.9 million, or 7.4% margin. Cash flow was notable during the quarter, resulting in year-to-date adjusted cash flow from operations at $159.5 million, which was ahead of our guidance range. This strong cash generation equates to a net leverage ratio of 3.3 times. Our engineering, integration, modernization, and sustainment solutions are gaining momentum with approximately $70 million of awards to V2X in the quarter. Importantly, we recently demonstrated these capabilities through the successful design and fielding of a defense platform that leveraged and enhanced existing systems. This effort originally started as an engineering development prototyping effort with a new client and today has yielded a brand new product that's designed, produced, and sustained by V2X. We see substantial opportunity to further expand our revenue and market presence associated with these capabilities. For example, we continue to be optimistic regarding the growth prospects associated with our proprietary Gateway Mission Router 1000, or GMR-1000. As mentioned on past calls, this family of products is a fully ruggedized and cyber-hardened multidomain router that provides cutting-edge situational awareness. V2X continues to increase its army footprint by integrating on additional different air and ground platforms. During the quarter, we submitted our proposal for a sole-sourced RFP which includes production for up to 3,000 GMRs. In addition, we are seeing good traction with potential new clients that have acknowledged GMR-1000 capabilities and maturity for other applications. Building on our momentum in the Middle East, I am pleased to announce that during the quarter, V2X was awarded a new task order with the US Air Force valued at $100 million over the next five years. Under this award, V2X will provide civil engineering and infrastructure support services to the US Air Force in the region. We are honored to have been selected to support such an important mission and look forward to building on our exemplary service with the Air Force. Additionally, V2X recently achieved a significant milestone, the company's first substantial foreign military sales win, which provides aviation support and training to an FMS client in the Middle East. The overall op tempo in the region remains elevated and the demand signals from our clients remain heightened. To date, the majority of current requirements are generally being routed to our existing contracts. However, we believe emerging requirements could result in new contracts or task orders. Please turn to slide six, where I will demonstrate our recent FMS win and multiyear campaign. Over the past few years, we have methodically planned and invested in our foreign military sales campaign, which is now yielding results. As mentioned, we were recently awarded a long-term aviation support and training contract in the Middle East. The award is valued at approximately $400 million over the next five years and is an exceptional win for V2X, representing a culmination of over two years of planning and engagement. The majority of the award is not included in our fourth quarter backlog as the contract is being definitized. Our team is currently working on transition-related activities and expects to have the contract operating at full run rate in the second half. Importantly, our evolution as a company has been an enabler to participate in this market. With this new work, the total awarded value of our FMS portfolio is approximately $700 million, with accretive margins across eight countries. Looking ahead, we see a near-term pipeline of FMS opportunities valued at approximately $5 billion. As such, we are continuing to invest and pursue opportunities that leverage our geographic footprints, robust partnerships, and enhanced capabilities where V2X can deliver differentiated, cost-effective solutions. Please turn to slide seven. Our ability to deliver unique and differentiated solutions is driving momentum in our business that is visible in our leading growth indicators. For example, total backlog at the end of the year was $12.8 billion, up from $12.3 billion last year, and provides solid top line visibility moving into 2024. It's important to note that backlog does not include the full performance period of the previously mentioned FMS win or the $458 million F-5 Adversary program as the award remains in protest status. Our pipeline of bids submitted stands at over $9 billion, a company high, and is up substantially from $6 billion last quarter, reflecting the somewhat muted award environment. Our business development engine is geared to support future backlog and revenue expansion with a $15 billion pipeline of opportunities expected to be submitted over the next 12 months. Finally, our visibility is enhanced by the limited recompetes we are facing throughout the year. At the midpoint of our 2024 guidance, recompetes comprise less than 5% of our revenue mix. To summarize, V2X's leading growth indicators, strong backlog, notable recent awards, and limited recompetes provide an excellent foundation and solid visibility moving into 2024. Now, I'd like to turn the call over to Shawn for a review of the financials.

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thanks, Chuck; and good morning, everyone. Please turn to slide eight, where I'll discuss our fourth quarter financial results. Performance across all metrics was in line or above our expectations for the quarter. Revenue of $1.04 billion in the quarter represents growth of 6% year-over-year and exceeded our expectations due to exceptional team performance, delivering milestones ahead of schedule, expansion on existing programs, and new business. Adjusted EBITDA in the quarter was $82.1 million, delivering a margin of 7.9%. Adjusted EBITDA and the margin increased sequentially as anticipated. Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.22, up 26% from the prior year. The growth reflects lower income tax and interest expense, partially offset by higher depreciation and other expenses. Interest expense for the quarter was $28.5 million. Cash interest expense was $26.3 million. The team delivered strong cash flow performance with adjusted operating cash flow of $75.9 million, representing a 195% net income conversion. Please turn to slide nine, where I'll discuss our full-year results. Full year 2023 revenue was $3.96 billion, increasing 8% on a pro forma basis year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA for the full-year was $293.9 million, or 7.4% margin, compared to $278 million on a pro forma basis in the prior year. Adjusted diluted EPS was $3.74 based on 31.6 million weighted average shares. Interest expense for the year was $122.4 million. Cash interest expense was $113.4 million. Net cash provided by operating activities was $188 million for the year. Adjusted operating cash flow was $159.5 million, exceeding the upper end of our guidance range. The strong performance represents 135% adjusted net income conversion and contributed to a record day sales outstanding of 58 days. Please turn to slide 10 to discuss cash and liquidity. As mentioned, cash generation was strong and enabled us to reduce total net debt by $137.1 million in 2023. We ended the year with $70.6 million of cash on the balance sheet, excluding $2 million of restricted cash. Net debt was $1,084 million. Importantly, the net debt to EBITDA leverage ratio was 3.3 times at the end of the year, which improved notably from 3.7 times at the end of 2022 and approximately 4 times at merger close. We believe the free cash flow generated by our business supports our ability to continue to delever and achieve a net leverage ratio at or below 3 times by the end of 2024. The company's balance sheet and liquidity position remains strong with over $550 million in capacity, which includes approximately $482 million of availability on our revolver. Please turn to slide 11. We are establishing 2024 guidance as follows. Revenue is expected to be $4.1 billion to $4.2 billion, representing 5% growth at the midpoint. Importantly, guidance at the midpoint assumes approximately 90% of revenue from existing contracts and less than 5% from recompetes. Adjusted EBITDA is estimated at $300 million to $315 million, representing 5% growth at the midpoint. Adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance is $3.85 to $4.20, representing 8% growth at the midpoint. Regarding the cadence we expect throughout the year, revenue and adjusted EBITDA will ramp sequentially. This reflects the phase-in of new business and the previously discussed wind down and completion of the KC-10 and the T-1A programs. We expect adjusted net cash provided by operating activities to be $145 million to $165 million. In terms of cadence, cash flow should be in line with our normal seasonal pattern with cash generation occurring in the second half of the year. Cash interest and other expense is expected to be approximately $116 million. Capital expenditures for the year are estimated to be approximately $30 million and will be first half weighted.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Shawn. Please turn to Slide 12. V2X remains focused on creating value for shareholders. The four components by which we plan to achieve this include: one, continued focus on generating top-line revenue growth through backlog conversion, on-contract growth, and execution of our robust pipeline into new awards in our core markets. Two, increasing profit via revenue growth and operating leverage, as well as margin improvement through program performance, technology insertion, and campaigns. Three, continued strong conversion of profit into operating cash flow through disciplined working capital management and low capital intensity. And four, utilizing our high recurring cash flow to strengthen our balance sheet and further reduce interest expense and net debt. In conclusion, V2X continues to transform to deliver enhanced capabilities in an expanding market. We have strong momentum, robust backlog, a highly aligned pipeline, limited recompetes, and high free cash generation that provides an excellent fundamental profile to support value creation in 2024. Now, I'd like to turn the call open to questions.

Operator, Operator

Thank you. We will now be conducting a question-and-answer session. Our first question comes from Tobey Sommer with Truist Securities. Please proceed with your question. Tobey, are you there?

Tobey Sommer, Analyst

Yes, I am. Can you hear me?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Hey, Tobey.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Yes, we can now. Tobey, how are you?

Tobey Sommer, Analyst

That's great. Could you provide some incremental color on the FMS pipeline, including geographic breadth and sort of describing new work versus takeaways from traditional competitors? Thanks.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Sure. Generally speaking, most of our FMS pipeline is concentrated in CENTCOM and INDOPACOM, with a smaller portion in Eastern Europe. The latest activity we announced was for a new requirement that wasn't previously being fulfilled by another provider. This involves aerospace operations and maintenance, specifically a mix of rotary wing maintenance and facility maintenance. The rest of the pipeline is fairly well distributed between aerospace operations and maintenance and logistics/operations management. Based on my recollection, I would estimate that our FMS pipeline is roughly 50% takeaways and 50% net new requirements.

Tobey Sommer, Analyst

Thank you. Could you describe the timing of the wind down of projects in contracts? We have some airframes being retired. Just thinking about from a modeling perspective when the sort of most significant headwind to growth?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Yeah. I would say, and Shawn please feel free to chime in here, so this will be the final year of the wind down for both the KC-10 and the T-1A. It's relatively balanced throughout the year. As we've indicated, we'll see sequential growth to make up for that wind down. So, I would say, a bit earlier weighted in the year, but extending through the full year. Shawn, anything to add?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No. Exactly. Thanks, Chuck, yes. We'll grow sequentially throughout the year, Tobey. And I would say it's first half weighted, meaning some of those headwinds as things wind down again, as we said and expected.

Tobey Sommer, Analyst

Thanks. Question we get from investors, if peace breaks out, which the news doesn't seem to convey as likely anytime here near term, does the company have activities that would cease? And if so, how much revenue is exposed?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

I would say if peace were to break out, that would be something we can all hope for. However, the missions we are currently maintaining will continue, if not entirely. There is always risk, as we saw in Afghanistan a couple of years ago if we were to withdraw from a country, but we have no indications of that happening. We often discuss operational tempo on these calls. Currently, we are experiencing positive trends in both revenue and profit generation due to the rate and pace of activities in CENTCOM and Eastern Europe, and as reflected in the reported results for INDOPACOM, there has been significant activity there. As mentioned in our prepared remarks, we actually saw higher revenue in the second half of the year in INDOPACOM, even though the main exercise took place in the first half. So, to expand on your question, as military infrastructure continues to age and as airframes and ground vehicles become older, this actually increases demand for our services at V2X.

Tobey Sommer, Analyst

Thanks. Just quickly, could you elaborate on the GMR-1000 opportunity, including comment on the sort of size and scope of that? Thank you very much.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

What GMR-1000 represents is a new suite of capabilities that are really taking hold post the merger. We believed that the untethering of the Indianapolis facility when it was acquired by Vertex, and ultimately now part of V2X, would create opportunities because of the organizational conflict of interest of being owned by a prime contractor going away. We're in fact seeing that. And this whole suite of engineered solutions, GMR-1000 being one, is our really great engineers and capabilities in Indianapolis working with both new and existing platforms, in this case a router, and hardening those capabilities in such a way that they can be used for new and innovative military missions. So, as we've mentioned in the prepared remarks, this is actually a sole-source bid. We don't know whether or not we've won yet, but the traction of the GMR-1000 and other engineered solutions is actually progressing very, very nicely.

Tobey Sommer, Analyst

Thank you.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you.

Operator, Operator

Our next question comes from Joe Gomes with Noble Capital Markets. Please proceed with your question.

Joe Gomes, Analyst

Good morning. Nice quarter.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you. How are you?

Joe Gomes, Analyst

Good. So, for the first question, it has a couple of parts. Book-to-bill was a bit low this quarter, and I’m curious if that’s entirely due to the protested contracts and the foreign contract that still needs to be finalized, or is the ongoing resolution, which has lasted longer than expected, starting to have an impact? You mentioned you have $9 billion in bids awaiting award, up from $6 billion at the end of last quarter. Could you elaborate on the ongoing resolution and any effects it might be having on your operations?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes. Hey, Joe, this is Shawn. As you mentioned, the pending awards increased by $3 billion this quarter. The environment is somewhat subdued concerning the timing and frequency of the awards, but there’s nothing particularly concerning. We are observing a slight slowdown in some areas which we would have preferred to see improve, but it does not affect our confidence in successfully securing that work. Chuck, do you have anything else to add?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

No, I believe you're correct. As always, during a continuing resolution, the rate and pace of awards slows down. However, the operational tempo we are experiencing is reflected in our revenue and ongoing contract growth, which remains strong. As we progress through this year, we expect to see awards again, albeit at a slower rate than we would prefer. Nevertheless, we remain very confident in our guidance.

Joe Gomes, Analyst

Okay. And speaking of the guidance, the adjusted EBITDA margin, if I look at it on the midpoint, it comes to be about 7.4% in 2024, which would be flat with 2023. And is that just a kind of reflection of more of some of these newer contracts just beginning, or is there anything else behind that fact that it appears to be flat projected year-over-year?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes. No. Joe, I'd say it's exactly as you described, right. So, some of the programs that are completion, right. So, we've set all along our programs, as they mature, they tend to move into higher margins. We're seeing the ramp up of new work. We'll continue to mature those things and improve the profitability over time. And so, throughout the year, you'll see us do that kind of sequentially when we think about the margin profile of the business over the course of the year. But, yes, you're exactly right at the midpoint. We're probably right at the 7.4% there.

Joe Gomes, Analyst

Okay. One more for me on the guidance, and maybe you can kind of give us a little bit of cadence. Historically, you're kind of at that 45% in the first half, 55% revenue in the second half. But one of the things Chuck you had mentioned, last year you benefited in the first and second quarter by the exercises in INDOPACOM. I'm assuming those don't repeat this year. Maybe you can give us a little bit of size, the impact they had on Q1 and Q2? And should we still kind of expect that 45%, 55% split on the guidance?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

I would estimate that nearly 50% of the revenue will come in the first half of the year, likely between 45% and 50%. Regarding the margin profile and adjusted EBITDA, I expect those to be slightly below 45% in the first half. This aligns with the gradual increase we anticipate throughout the year as new projects begin and our teams enhance their execution. Chuck, do you have anything to add?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

No. As you said it perfectly, last year we did benefit from kind of extraordinary activity that happened in the beginning of the year. As you know, you followed us for a while. The first half, second half dynamic has been very consistent, going all the way back to Vectrus days. And, again, we feel very comfortable with the guide and we feel very comfortable with the ramp throughout the year.

Joe Gomes, Analyst

Great. Thanks for taking my questions.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thank you.

Operator, Operator

Our next question comes from Trevor Walsh with Citizens. Please proceed with your question.

Trevor Walsh, Analyst

Hi. Good morning, team. Thank you for taking my questions, and I want to congratulate you on a strong finish to the year. Similar to the information you provided on the FMS pipeline, Chuck, could you give us an overview of the $9 billion in bids that you've submitted? I would like to know where that stands within the product portfolio and what the mix looks like.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you for your question. We're really excited about how we've curated our pipeline over the past few years. Of the $9 billion, there's a good mix between our core logistics management and aerospace operations and maintenance businesses, along with our newer converged technology and engineered solutions. We also have a promising emerging pipeline in our intelligence community business. The new capabilities we've introduced in recent years are now significantly represented in the pipeline we've discussed, and we are thrilled with that progress.

Trevor Walsh, Analyst

Great. Terrific. You mentioned a newer defense system or platform. I don't know if that's classified or if you're able to give it a little bit more detail or it's just not finalized yet, but just curious how technology-driven that particular project was?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Yes, we can't discuss it further. It's complete. It's an impressive achievement, having progressed from inception to deployment in less than a year, and it's very technical. To summarize, we are enhancing older and newer platforms by finding ways for them to work together and improve their capabilities. This aspect of our business is crucial, as it allows us to engage with military intelligence and prime contractors in innovative ways to extend the lifecycle and enhance the functionality of platforms that have been in service for a long time.

Trevor Walsh, Analyst

Terrific. Thank you for the perspective. Maybe one more from me. For Shawn, it looked like, based on the guide, that you've got a little bit of an uptick in the CapEx outlook for the year going from about $25 million to $30 million. It looked like from what I could tell in our model. Just curious where the added investment is going or kind of what you see, kind of where that spend will be progressing throughout the year?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, thank you for the question. At the end of last year, we indicated that we expected capital expenditures to be around $28 million. We actually spent just under that, totaling approximately $26 million in CapEx for 2023. What you're observing is a continuation of that spending. You can think of it as investments in engineering tools. This is in line with the modernization and sustainment capabilities we've discussed, and we're allocating resources to enhance our capabilities moving forward. Essentially, it’s all about the timing of these investments across different years.

Trevor Walsh, Analyst

Got it. Makes sense. Okay. Thanks for taking my questions. I'll hop back in the queue.

Operator, Operator

Our next question comes from Stephen Strackhouse with RBC Capital Markets. Please proceed with your question.

Stephen Strackhouse, Analyst

Hey, good morning, all. Thank you for taking my question. I was hoping you could provide a little bit more detail around the Middle East exposure, maybe how fast can that market grow? And then maybe just even kind of compare contrasting that to INDOPACOM?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Yes, Stephen, hello, how are you? Did you mention Middle East exposure?

Stephen Strackhouse, Analyst

Yes, I did. Yes.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

The Middle East has historically been our largest individual area of operation outside the continental United States. We have been active in the region for nearly three decades. As you are likely aware, there is significant activity occurring in the Middle East currently. As mentioned in our prepared remarks, we are managing the operational tempo we are experiencing in the region primarily through our existing contracts. Additionally, we noted a recent win with the Air Force that will be ramping up shortly. Regarding further business opportunities, we anticipate new awards once the funding issues related to Congressional actions are resolved. We have received several demand signals from our clients that we are actively addressing. Overall, we expect the operational tempo to remain high for the foreseeable future. As the budget situations are resolved, we may see the potential for new orders.

Stephen Strackhouse, Analyst

Great. Thank you for that. And then maybe just kind of following up there on the budget, maybe just the impact of the CR and kind of what is or isn't factored into the 2024 guide? And then maybe also just kind of how importantly kind of the lack of any Ukraine supplemental might be, or then what upside that has for the 2024 guide as well?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

We have considered a more conservative award scenario for this year, as Shawn mentioned earlier. That said, we will see some awards. Our teams are doing an excellent job with growth from existing contracts, which typically comes from current budgets. The operational tempo remains high. Therefore, balancing new awards and growth from existing contracts, along with the realities of the current operational tempo, gives us confidence in our guidance today. You also mentioned INDOPACOM. Currently, there are no scheduled named exercises, as those occur in odd years. However, we continue to observe several demand signals and a high operational tempo in the region. We are also looking for ways to modernize bases that we currently operate, such as Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands.

Stephen Strackhouse, Analyst

Great. Really appreciate the color. I'll jump back in the queue.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you.

Operator, Operator

Our next question comes from Sahej Singh with Stifel. Please proceed with your question.

Sahej Singh, Analyst

Hey, guys. Good morning. I'm on for Bert.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

How are you?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Good morning.

Sahej Singh, Analyst

Doing well. I guess, you've touched on it, but just to get some more color on it, just curious about your view on MRO ramped lifecycles. You sort of talked about pipeline, but what are you seeing in terms of new awards? How do you then see that impacting or normalizing margins? Just any color you could provide there would be helpful.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

As we discussed last quarter, the F-5 Adversary award was significant. It is a fixed price contract and is currently under protest. Once that protest is resolved, we expect to begin that program this year, likely in the second half. The only platforms currently in retirement are the KC-10 and the T-1A, which have been predictably winding down. At this time, there are no other known retirements in our contract portfolio.

Sahej Singh, Analyst

Okay.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Do you have anything else to add to your question?

Sahej Singh, Analyst

Just the margin impact would be helpful. And then if I could add on to that, I guess thinking through maybe early days on maybe Test Wing in the Pacific and Atlantic, if you could touch there, too?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Sure. As Shawn mentioned, we will see a gradual increase throughout the year. The profit margins on the retiring programs are higher since they are at the end of their life cycles. With a large portion of our backlog in the early stages, we are experiencing a predictable rise in profit margins after the sale and into the foundational years. We are genuinely excited about the speed at which this is happening. It represents a significant number of new successes over the last three years, which we are very happy about. Both the Naval Test Wing Pacific and Atlantic are performing exceptionally well. I couldn't be more satisfied with the team. We are receiving positive feedback directly from our clients. Our discussions are not just internal, as you likely know from your close follow of the industry. The development of fully capable pilots is a crucial metric for both our Navy and Air Force clients, enabling them to train pilots quickly to meet their needs. We are pleased to have a key role in accelerating the training process for pilots.

Sahej Singh, Analyst

Sure. Thanks, Chuck. That's helpful. And, I guess, following up on one of the questions that was asked on INDOPACOM, I was reading that the Pacific, excuse me, Deterrence Initiative should grow to about $14 billion in FY 2024, something around that. And just curious if you think there's upside to that if budgets are appropriated soon. And what do you think that could look like?

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

A way to look at that is the performance we posted in the second half of the year. The fact that we booked more revenue in the second half than in the first half, despite the exercise being in the first half, is directly attributable to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. The operational tempo is high, and the budget is a reality because these are, in many cases, new requirements. While we are navigating through a muted new award environment, our ability to grow on contract provides a good balance. Although this is a lengthy response, we remain very optimistic about growth in the breakout region.

Sahej Singh, Analyst

No, thanks. That is helpful. And then maybe, Shawn, just one last one for you, just for the models. How are you thinking through interest rates, especially as it's concerned, the deleveraging process?

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, so we've made tremendous progress in deleveraging. We're obviously very focused on that. As we go into 2024, you saw where we think we'll be at less than three at the end of 2024. From an interest expense standpoint, it's comparable to what we had in 2023. We will look at opportunities as interest rates change. And as that leverage ratio comes down, we've taken advantage of improved grid pricing previously. We'll look to do that again, kind of as appropriate, and improve upon our position as we go throughout the year. The team did a great job, couldn't be more happy with, you know, the cash that was delivered in the quarter, and we'll look to continue to do those things throughout the year.

Sahej Singh, Analyst

Well, thank you. Congrats on the great quarter, guys. And we'll talk to you next quarter.

Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thank you.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks.

Operator, Operator

It appears that there are no further questions at this time. I would now like to turn the floor back over to Chuck Prow for closing comments.

Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you very much and thank you all for your questions. We've just completed what we think to be a very, very solid year and we look forward to talking to you again at the end of the first quarter. And we may see you at all the conferences here in the not too distant future. Talk to you soon. Bye.

Operator, Operator

This concludes today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.