Data as of .
AIRR vs ITA: which is really different?
ITA holds 79.5% of its weight in S&P 500 companies and AIRR 5.5%.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: AIRR scores higher
How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?
A percentile among the 371 thematic ETFs with a holdings filing. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All thematic ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, AIRR and ITA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in AIRR | Only in ITA |
|---|---|
| IES Holdings, Inc. 3.83% | GE AEROSPACE 21.81% |
| Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc 3.38% | RTX 17.21% |
| SPX Technologies 3.10% | BOEING 9.36% |
| BWX Technologies, Inc. 3.09% | GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 4.82% |
| Owens Corning 3.03% | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 4.69% |
| Nextpower Inc. (Class A) 2.89% | NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP 4.44% |
| Saia, Inc. 2.83% | TRANSDIGM GROUP 4.31% |
| C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. 2.77% | HOWMET AEROSPACE 4.24% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | vs the Nasdaq-100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIRR | ITA | AIRR | ITA | AIRR | ITA | |
| 3 months | −17.1% | −6.3% | −20.4 pts | −9.6 pts | −16.3 pts | −5.5 pts |
| 6 months | −1.1% | −4.4% | −17.1 pts | −20.4 pts | −21.8 pts | −25.1 pts |
| 1 year | +15.0% | +10.0% | −2.5 pts | −7.5 pts | −8.0 pts | −13.0 pts |
| 3 years | +102.4% | +103.7% | +24.5 pts | +25.8 pts | +7.3 pts | +8.6 pts |
| Since launch | +460.7% | +906.7% | +56.4 pts | +102.3 pts | −312.8 pts | −767.2 pts |
| AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF Holds 58 stocks in reshoring and manufacturing, 6% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF Holds 51 stocks in defense, 80% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | iShares |
| Theme | Reshoring and manufacturing | Defense |
| In the S&P 500 | 5.5% | 79.5% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99.9% | 97.9% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 0.0% | 3.0% |
| Holdings | 58 | 51 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 30.4% | 77.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.37% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.69% | 0.38% |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.0% | +10.0% |
| vs the S&P 500 | −2.5 pts | −7.5 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | −8.0 pts | −13.0 pts |
| Below its high | −19.5% | −13.5% |
AIRR in plain words
By weight, 6% of AIRR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 30% of the fund across 58 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +15.0% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 2.5 pts. It sits 19.5% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.
ITA in plain words
By weight, 80% of ITA's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 78% of the fund across 51 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +10.0% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 7.5 pts. It sits 13.5% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, AIRR or ITA?
- AIRR has 6% of its weight in S&P 500 names and ITA has 80%, so AIRR differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, AIRR or ITA?
- AIRR charges 0.69% a year and ITA charges 0.37%, so ITA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, AIRR against ITA, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/airr-vs-ita Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.