Linux kernel Long Term Support (LTS) releases are “longterm maintenance” releases that currently come with 2 years of support for the purpose backporting bug and security fixes. The usual Linux kernel releases arrive after about every 7-8 weeks.
This free and open source kernel serves as the base for most of the devices, including millions of Android and other ARM devices. Now, in a major change that involves how the kernel support is provided, the two-year lifecycle of Linux LTS kernel is being bumped to six years.
This announcement was made by Googler Iliyan Malchev during a Linaro Connect 2017 presentation (Via: Ars Technica). While discussing the changes being brought to Android update cycle with Project Treble, he said: “Greg Kroah-Hartman has given me permission to announce this here: He will extend LTS to six years, starting with kernel 4.4.”