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ITA vs KDEF

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

ITAACboe

PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF

KDEFDNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

ITA −0.28pt a year

ITA0.37%KDEF0.65%

Avg volume · 30D

ITA 14.7×the volume

ITA747KKDEF50.6K

ITA vs KDEF Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

−0.3%ITA−29.5%KDEF

Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. ITA −0.3%. KDEF −29.5%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%20%40%Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026
Expense ratio
ITA 0.37%, better
KDEF 0.65%
Fund size
ITA $12.2B
KDEF $82M
1Y total return
ITA −0.3%, better
KDEF −29.5%
Yield (12M)
ITA 0.26%
KDEF No data
Holdings
ITA 52
KDEF 21
Avg volume (30D)
ITA 747K sh, better
KDEF 50.6K sh
NAV per share
ITA $209.66
KDEF $31.82
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ITA: Cost 80, Risk 62, Mission 76, Tradability 96, Holdings 34, Durability 98. KDEF: Cost 26, Risk 17, Mission not scored, Tradability 41, Holdings 21, Durability 58.
Pillar letters and Scores for ITA, KDEF, with each pillar’s weight
PillarITAKDEF
Cost30% weightA80HigherD26
Mission25% weightA76Not scored
Risk15% weightB62HigherF17
Tradability15% weightA96HigherC41
Holdings10% weightD34HigherF21
Durability5% weightA98HigherB58

Rank among Defense & Aerospace funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. ITA and KDEF are both graded against the same 25 Defense & Aerospace funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Defense & Aerospace⁠

Category · 25 funds
See all 25 ›

ITA ranks 2nd and KDEF 24th of 25 funds in the Defense & Aerospace Category.

  1. Rank 1AXARState Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETFScore 78
  2. Rank 2AITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETFScore 74
  3. Rank 3BFLDZTrueShares Patriot Defense ETFScore 62
  4. Rank 22DWEPNNicholas Defense and Rare Earth Income ETFScore 29
  5. Rank 24DKDEFPLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETFScore 28
  6. Rank 25DUFODTuttle Capital UFO Disclosure ETFScore 25

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ITAAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

KDEFDPLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF

In short

ITA The 2006 original in aerospace and defense, and still the anchor fund of the category. It follows a market-cap-weighted index of U.S. aircraft, parts and weapons makers, so the big primes carry most of the weight.

KDEF Most defense ETFs are a bet on American primes. KDEF points somewhere else: an index fund built entirely around South Korea's defense industry, which landed on the US shelf in 2025.

Stated mandate

ITA The fund is designed to follow an index of U.S. equity companies focused on aerospace and defense.

KDEF The Fund seeks investment results corresponding generally to the total return performance of the Korea Defense Industry Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

  • ITA Charges 0.37% a year, below the typical defense-fund fee and a whisker off the cheapest large rival, XAR at 0.35%.
  • Trading since 2006 and now a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded fund: the long-standing incumbent in U.S. aerospace and defense.
  • The index weights by market cap but caps any single company's weight, so the biggest primes lead without swallowing the whole portfolio.spglobal.com
  • One of the strongest builds in a crowded defense peer group, with a plain-vanilla index mandate and quarterly payouts.
  • KDEF A rare single-country angle: South Korean defense specifically, not the US aerospace-and-defense names that fill XAR, ITA and PPA.
  • Plain plumbing: a 1940 Act index fund tracking the Korea Defense Industry Index. No leverage, no options overlay, no swap wrapper.
  • Narrow theme, but the shares change hands with moderate regularity rather than going quiet for stretches.

Worth knowing

  • ITA About 50 stocks, cap-weighted: a few primes drive most of the ride. XAR's modified equal weight spreads exposure further down the size ladder.ssga.com
  • One U.S. industry, running on two engines: government procurement and commercial aircraft demand. Narrower than a broad-market fund by design.ishares.com
  • Holds a representative sample of the index rather than every constituent, which can leave small gaps versus the benchmark.sec.gov
  • KDEF The 0.65% fee sits above the typical defense ETF, the toll for reaching into one overseas industry.
  • Launched in 2025, so the live record is short, and the ride has been choppier than broad defense funds.
  • One country, one industry: Korean policy, the won and export orders drive it, and cash comes back only once or twice a year.

Full ITA profile⁠

Full KDEF profile⁠

ITA vs KDEF Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ITA vs KDEF Cost

Overpaying KDEF vs ITA

$5,204

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • ITA 0.37%

    $7,513

  • KDEF 0.65%

    $12,717

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ITA 0.37%
  • KDEF 0.65%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530KDEF $12,717ITA $7,513

Year by year

YearITAKDEFOverpaying
10$670$1,163$493
20$2,590$4,440$1,850
30$7,513$12,717$5,204

Expense ratio

  • 0.37%ITA, cheaper
  • 0.65%KDEF
  • Middle half of Defense & Aerospace funds
  • Median 0.50%

ITA 5th cheapest of 25 funds

KDEF 18th cheapest of 25 funds

ITA vs KDEF Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026
Yield (12M)
ITA 0.26%
KDEF No data
Payout (12M)
ITA $0.57
KDEF No data
Last payment
ITA $0.25
KDEF $2.96
Ex-dividend
ITA Sep 15, 2026
KDEF Dec 30, 2025
Paid on
ITA Sep 18, 2026
KDEF Dec 31, 2025
Frequency
ITA Quarterly
KDEF Irregular

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

ITAQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll ITA payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.16; Jun 27, 2017 $0.19; Sep 26, 2017 $0.35; Dec 19, 2017 $0.16; Mar 22, 2018 $0.21; Jun 26, 2018 $0.22; Sep 26, 2018 $0.43; Dec 17, 2018 $0.11; Mar 20, 2019 $0.29; Jun 17, 2019 $0.31; Sep 24, 2019 $0.29; Dec 16, 2019 $0.53; Dec 30, 2019 $0.29; Mar 25, 2020 $0.39; Jun 15, 2020 $0.21; Sep 23, 2020 $0.20; Dec 14, 2020 $0.20; Mar 25, 2021 $0.32; Jun 10, 2021 $0.19; Sep 24, 2021 $0.18; Dec 13, 2021 $0.16; Mar 24, 2022 $0.16; Jun 9, 2022 $0.28; Sep 26, 2022 $0.38; Dec 13, 2022 $0.24; Mar 23, 2023 $0.28; Jun 7, 2023 $0.24; Sep 26, 2023 $0.22; Dec 20, 2023 $0.43; Mar 21, 2024 $0.27; Jun 11, 2024 $0.30; Sep 25, 2024 $0.23; Dec 17, 2024 $0.44; Mar 18, 2025 $0.25; Jun 16, 2025 $0.17; Sep 16, 2025 $0.75; Mar 17, 2026 $0.15; Jun 15, 2026 $0.16; Sep 15, 2026 $0.25. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD
KDEFIrregular · 1 paymentAll KDEF payments⁠
One bar per payment. 1 payment from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 30, 2025 $2.96. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD

ITA vs KDEF Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
ITA 18.5%KDEF 58.1%since Mar 2025
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ITA 1.06KDEF 0.53since Mar 2025
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ITA −20.0%KDEF −52.1%since Feb 2025
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ITA 0.98KDEF 1.67

ITA and KDEF in the news

All news⁠

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