From rockets to radar, the aerospace and defense industry soars in 2025

Dec. 24, 2025 8:59 AM ETS&P 500 Index (SP500), ITA, XAR, PPA, SHLD, FITE, DFEN, XLI, VIS, FXR, IYJ, FIDU, RSPN, , , , , , , , , By: Jason Capul, SA News Editor
Airliner Landing Gear Lever

Ollie Desforges/iStock via Getty Images

The aerospace and defense industry, a cornerstone of the industrials sector, delivered an exceptional showing in 2025, handily outperforming both its parent sector and the broader equity market.

Supported by sustained defense spending, rising commercial aerospace demand, and expanding space-related investment, the group

Follow Seeking Alpha on Google for the latest stock news

Create a free account to read the full article

Gain access to the world's leading investment community.

Already registered?

By creating an account using any of the options above, you agree to the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
or

Don’t Miss Our Top Stocks for 2026 Event

Subscribe to Premium for $4.95 for your first month and secure your spot at the Top Stocks 2026 virtual event on January 6.

Get access to our data-driven 10 stock picks for 2026 and the research behind each selection, including key market themes for the year ahead.

Previous lists have delivered strong results: the 2023 picks gained 184%, the 2024 picks rose 324%, and the 2025 picks are already up more than 50%*.

Banner Image
Register Now

*Performance as of November 28, 2025. Past performance is no guarantee for future results. Subject to Seeking Alpha’s Events Policy as available here: https://about.seekingalpha.com/events-policy. 

Related Stocks

SymbolLast Price% Chg
SP5006,905.75-0.35%
S&P 500 Index
ITA217.00-0.49%
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETFPre. 217.670.31%
XAR244.85-0.64%
State Street® SPDR® S&P® Aerospace & Defense ETFPre. 246.000.47%
PPA158.51-0.27%
Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETFPre. 158.510.00%
SHLD65.68-0.47%
Global X Defense Tech ETFPre. 65.61-0.11%

Most Active

SymbolLast Price% Chg
NVDA188.22-1.21%
NVIDIA CorporationPre. 188.500.15%
DBRG15.269.63%
DigitalBridge Group, Inc.Pre. 15.260.00%
NIO5.344.71%
NIO Inc.Pre. 5.513.18%
PLUG1.97-4.83%
Plug Power Inc.Pre. 1.970.05%
TSLA459.64-3.27%
Tesla, Inc.Pre. 462.450.61%

In The News

SymbolLast Price% Chg
AAPL273.760.13%
Apple Inc.Pre. 273.15-0.22%
MSFT487.10-0.13%
Microsoft CorporationPre. 485.53-0.32%
NVDA188.22-1.21%
NVIDIA CorporationPre. 188.500.15%
GOOGL313.560.02%
Alphabet Inc.Pre. 313.19-0.12%
XAUUSD:CUR4,381.701.12%
Gold Spot Price