JEDI: A High-Risk Bet On Defense Tech Growth

Defiance Drone and Modern Warfare ETF offers high-growth defense tech exposure but carries elevated risk due to its focus on emerging, unprofitable companies. I rate JEDI a Hold, citing its high-risk/high-return profile, underperformance versus peers, and lack of dividend yield despite attractive long-term growth potential. Top holdings—Ondas, Redwire, and Unusual Machines—are positioned for profitability inflection, supported by strong backlogs, liquidity, and competitive advantages in low-cost defense tech.

Seeking Alpha • Oct 26, 2026

Ondas Climbs 4% on Palantir-Powered Regna AI Venture, Red Cat Barely Budges After TRICHON Drone Debut

Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) stock is up 4% to $7 in morning trading after the announcement of Regna AI, a new AI venture powered by Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR | PLTR Price Prediction).

24/7 Wall Street • Oct 12, 2026

AeroVironment Is Now Down 43% This Year. Is It Time to Sell This Dropping Drone Stock?

A restatement at AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV | AVAV Price Prediction) is the easiest explanation for a hard year. However, two drone and defense peers that never restated anything have fallen right alongside the company.

24/7 Wall Street • Oct 7, 2026

Drone Stocks Slide as Risk-Off Sentiment Hits High-Beta Names: AeroVironment Sinks 4%, Red Cat Drops 3%, Ondas Eases

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV | AVAV Price Prediction) stock is down 4% to $142.

24/7 Wall Street • Sep 9, 2026

Defiance Drone & Modern Warfare ETF (JEDI), The First ETF Providing Exposure to Shield AI, Surpasses $200 Million in AUM

Assets in the Fund have doubled since April, with the $200 million milestone arriving less than two weeks after JEDI announced it was the first ETF with indirect exposure to Shield AI, the privately held autonomy company behind the Hivemind AI pilot and the V-BAT aircraft. MIAMI, Aug. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Defiance ETFs today announced that the  Defiance Drone & Modern Warfare ETF (NYSE: JEDI) has surpassed $200 million in assets under management as of August 21, 2026, less than eleven months after the Fund's September 25, 2025 launch.

GlobeNewsWire • Aug 24, 2026

Defiance's JEDI Becomes First ETF to Offer Exposure to Shield AI

MIAMI, Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Defiance ETFs today announced that the  Defiance Drone & Modern Warfare ETF (NYSE: JEDI) has obtained exposure to Shield AI, a privately held defense technology company, making JEDI the first U.S.-listed ETF to offer investors exposure to the company. The position follows the July 27, 2026 prospectus supplement, effective August 6, 2026, which added a secondary investment objective permitting the Fund to seek exposure to companies that the Adviser believes would have qualified for inclusion in the BITA Drone & Modern Warfare Select Index except that their securities are not publicly traded.

GlobeNewsWire • Aug 11, 2026

JEDI: The New Warfare Paradigm

Defiance Drone and Modern Warfare ETF (JEDI) targets companies at the forefront of drone, AI, and modern defense technologies, with a strong small/mid-cap tilt. JEDI benefits from a structural global defense spending inflection, driven by real-world conflicts and NATO's commitment to 5% of GDP by 2035. Given concentration, small-cap exposure, and short history, I rate JEDI a HOLD, balancing long-term thematic appeal with notable risks.

Seeking Alpha • Aug 11, 2026

Best-Performing ETF Areas of Last Week

Gold, space, defense and silver-mining ETFs soared last week as weak jobs data eased Fed rate-hike fears and boosted risk appetite.

Zacks Investment Research • Aug 11, 2026

Defiance's JEDI ETF Expands Mandate to Include Private Company Investments

MIAMI, July 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Defiance ETFs today announced that a supplement dated July 27, 2026 has been filed to the prospectus for the Defiance Drone & Modern Warfare ETF (NYSE: JEDI) . The supplement, recommended by Defiance ETFs, LLC, the Fund's investment adviser (the “Adviser”), and approved by the Board of Trustees of ETF Series Solutions, revises the Fund's investment objective and principal investment strategies to permit the Fund to invest in privately issued securities.

GlobeNewsWire • Jul 29, 2026

Time to Tap Drone ETFs Now?

Europe's drone defense boom is accelerating. These two ETFs offer targeted exposure as military spending shifts toward AI-powered warfare.

Zacks Investment Research • Jul 17, 2026