Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Consolidated Statements of Earnings
Net sales	$ 493,222	$ 482,467	$ 980,868	$ 911,509
Costs and expenses:
Cost of goods sold	355,602	340,028	699,362	655,494
Selling, general and administrative expenses	38,450	35,283	78,293	72,611
Research and development costs	30,328	35,805	64,357	65,229
Amortization of intangible assets	7,227	8,657	14,802	17,141
Interest expense	5,329	6,185	11,278	12,247
Interest income	(221)	(57)	(348)	(116)
Other (income) expense, net (Note 15)	(1,084)	(190)	(1,539)	(797)
Total costs and expenses	435,631	425,711	866,205	821,809
Earnings before income taxes	57,591	56,756	114,663	89,700
Income tax expense	13,736	11,958	27,024	21,519
Net earnings	$ 43,855	$ 44,798	$ 87,639	$ 68,181
Earnings per share (Note 3):
Basic earnings per share	$ 0.67	$ 0.67	$ 1.34	$ 1.01
Diluted earnings per share	$ 0.66	$ 0.66	$ 1.32	$ 1.00
Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding (Note 3):
Basic	65,159	66,633	65,242	67,182
Diluted	66,540	67,905	66,641	68,463
Cash dividends per share paid to Woodward common stockholders	$ 0.10	$ 0.08	$ 0.18	$ 0.16