Defense ETFs: Which is the best?
How to invest in aerospace and defense using ETFs

Which ETFs focus on military and defense stocks?
The military and defense industry is a controversial topic. But even though stocks from the armaments sector are a no-go investment for many for understandable moral reasons, the industry flourishes especially in troubled times. This is because the customers of the arms companies are almost exclusively states, which usually have large budgets. In addition, the technologies of the aerospace, military and defense companies are often also used in civil aviation and space travel after their introduction.Companies that are listed on the stock exchange and active in the military and defense industry can be combined into an equity index and made investable via an ETF.
In this investment guide you will find all ETFs that track companies from the military and defence industry.
MarketVector Global Defense Industry performance
Aerospace and defense ETFs in comparison
When choosing a defense ETF one should consider several other factors in addition to the methodology of the underlying index and performance of an ETF. For better comparison, you will find a list of all defense ETFs with details on size, cost, age, income, domicile and replication method ranked by fund size.
Compare all defense ETFs in detail
Compare all defense ETFs in a chart
ETF name ISIN | Fund size in m EUR | TER in % | Use of profits | Fund domicile | Replication method | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VanEck Defense UCITS ETF AIE000YYE6WK5 | 5,067 | 0.55% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
WisdomTree Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR Unhedged AccIE0002Y8CX98 | 2,623 | 0.40% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
HANetf Future of Defence UCITS ETFIE000OJ5TQP4 | 2,211 | 0.49% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF USD (Acc)IE000U9ODG19 | 510 | 0.35% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
Global X Defence Tech UCITS ETF USD AccumulatingIE000JCW3DZ3 | 210 | 0.50% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
HANetf Future of European Defence UCITS ETF AccumulatingIE000I7E6HL0 | 123 | 0.39% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
BNP Paribas Easy Bloomberg Europe Defense UCITS ETF AccLU3047998896 | 51 | 0.18% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
Amundi Stoxx Europe Defense UCITS ETF AccLU3038520774 | 39 | 0.35% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
First Trust Indxx Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF Class A AccumulationIE000NVDQXE1 | 24 | 0.65% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
Invesco Defence Innovation UCITS ETF AccIE000BRM9046 | 21 | 0.35% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
iShares Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)IE000IAXNM41 | 20 | 0.35% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
SPDR S&P Europe Defense Vision UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)IE0008GRJRO8 | 4 | 0.15% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
Global X Europe Focused Defence Tech UCITS ETF EUR Accumulating Share ClassIE000WRQ9RR1 | 2 | 0.40% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
BNP Paribas Easy Bloomberg Europe Defense UCITS ETF DistLU3047998979 | 0 | 0.18% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Full replication |
Source: justETF.com; As of 23.06.25
Return comparison of all aerospace and defense ETFs
The table shows the returns of all defense ETFs in comparison. All return figures are including dividends as of month end. Besides the return the reference date on which you conduct the comparison is important. In order to find the best ETFs, you can also perform a chart comparison.
ETF | 2025 in % | 2024 in % | 2023 in % | 2022 in % | 2021 in % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Global X Defence Tech UCITS ETF USD Accumulating | 42.62% | - | - | - | - | |
VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A | 36.33% | 52.70% | - | - | - | |
HANetf Future of Defence UCITS ETF | 32.08% | 40.79% | - | - | - | |
First Trust Indxx Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF Class A Accumulation | 27.93% | - | - | - | - | |
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | 21.91% | - | - | - | - | |
Invesco Defence Innovation UCITS ETF Acc | 8.01% | - | - | - | - | |
Amundi Stoxx Europe Defense UCITS ETF Acc | - | - | - | - | - | |
BNP Paribas Easy Bloomberg Europe Defense UCITS ETF Acc | - | - | - | - | - | |
BNP Paribas Easy Bloomberg Europe Defense UCITS ETF Dist | - | - | - | - | - | |
Global X Europe Focused Defence Tech UCITS ETF EUR Accumulating Share Class | - | - | - | - | - | |
HANetf Future of European Defence UCITS ETF Accumulating | - | - | - | - | - | |
iShares Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) | - | - | - | - | - | |
SPDR S&P Europe Defense Vision UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) | - | - | - | - | - | |
WisdomTree Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR Unhedged Acc | - | - | - | - | - |
Source: justETF.com; As of 31.05.25; Calculations in EUR including dividends