PortfoliosLab logoPortfoliosLab logo

Documentation

Upgrade your plan

VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A (DFEN.DE) Alternatives

ETF · Currency in EUR · Last updated Jun 5, 2026

The VanEck Defense UCITS ETF provides exposure to global companies involved in defense technology, cybersecurity, and defense-related services by tracking the MarketVector Global Defense Industry Index.

VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A (DFEN.DE) belongs to the Aerospace & Defense category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with DFEN.DE. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to DFEN.DE

DFEN.DE charges 0.55% annually. There are 5 ETFs in the Aerospace & Defense category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.35%.

SymbolNameExpense RatioAUMInception
DFNC.DE
iShares Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR Acc0.35%—May 2025DFEN.DE vs DFNC.DE
5J50.DE
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF USD (...0.35%—Feb 2024DFEN.DE vs 5J50.DE
EUDF.DE
WisdomTree Europe Defence UCITS ETF - EUR Acc0.40%—Mar 2025DFEN.DE vs EUDF.DE
ED3F.DE
Global X Europe Focused Defence Tech UCITS ETF EUR...0.40%—May 2025DFEN.DE vs ED3F.DE
ASWC.DE
HANetf Future of Defence UCITS ETF Acc EUR0.49%—Jul 2023DFEN.DE vs ASWC.DE

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to DFEN.DE

DFEN.DE has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 19. There are 2 ETFs in the Aerospace & Defense category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 25.

SymbolNameRisk / Return RankAUMInception
ASWC.DE
HANetf Future of Defence UCITS ETF Acc EUR
25
—Jul 2023DFEN.DE vs ASWC.DE
5J50.DE
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF USD (...
24
—Feb 2024DFEN.DE vs 5J50.DE
ED3F.DE
Global X Europe Focused Defence Tech UCITS ETF EUR...
9
—May 2025DFEN.DE vs ED3F.DE
DFNC.DE
iShares Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR Acc
8
—May 2025DFEN.DE vs DFNC.DE
EUDF.DE
WisdomTree Europe Defence UCITS ETF - EUR Acc
8
—Mar 2025DFEN.DE vs EUDF.DE

Top Performing DFEN.DE Alternatives (YTD)

DFEN.DE is at 4.02% YTD. There are 2 ETFs in the Aerospace & Defense category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 13.04%.

SymbolNameYTD ReturnAUMInception
ASWC.DE
HANetf Future of Defence UCITS ETF Acc EUR
13.04%
—Jul 2023DFEN.DE vs ASWC.DE
5J50.DE
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF USD (...
4.72%
—Feb 2024DFEN.DE vs 5J50.DE
DFNC.DE
iShares Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR Acc
3.52%
—May 2025DFEN.DE vs DFNC.DE
EUDF.DE
WisdomTree Europe Defence UCITS ETF - EUR Acc
2.51%
—Mar 2025DFEN.DE vs EUDF.DE
ED3F.DE
Global X Europe Focused Defence Tech UCITS ETF EUR...
0.02%
—May 2025DFEN.DE vs ED3F.DE

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to DFEN.DE

DFEN.DE has 24.79% 1-year volatility. There are 2 ETFs in the Aerospace & Defense category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 19.44%.

SymbolNameVolatility 1YAUMInception
5J50.DE
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF USD (...19.44%—Feb 2024DFEN.DE vs 5J50.DE
ASWC.DE
HANetf Future of Defence UCITS ETF Acc EUR20.35%—Jul 2023DFEN.DE vs ASWC.DE
EUDF.DE
WisdomTree Europe Defence UCITS ETF - EUR Acc29.15%—Mar 2025DFEN.DE vs EUDF.DE
DFNC.DE
iShares Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR Acc30.27%—May 2025DFEN.DE vs DFNC.DE
ED3F.DE
Global X Europe Focused Defence Tech UCITS ETF EUR...30.60%—May 2025DFEN.DE vs ED3F.DE

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to DFEN.DE

DFEN.DE has a 1-year max drawdown of -18.60%. There are 2 ETFs in the Aerospace & Defense category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -12.58%.

SymbolNameMax Drawdown 1YAUMInception
ASWC.DE
HANetf Future of Defence UCITS ETF Acc EUR
-12.58%
—Jul 2023DFEN.DE vs ASWC.DE
5J50.DE
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF USD (...
-13.56%
—Feb 2024DFEN.DE vs 5J50.DE
EUDF.DE
WisdomTree Europe Defence UCITS ETF - EUR Acc
-19.51%
—Mar 2025DFEN.DE vs EUDF.DE
DFNC.DE
iShares Europe Defence UCITS ETF EUR Acc
-20.23%
—May 2025DFEN.DE vs DFNC.DE
ED3F.DE
Global X Europe Focused Defence Tech UCITS ETF EUR...
-23.91%
—May 2025DFEN.DE vs ED3F.DE

Other ETFs from VanEck

The 10 most viewed VanEck ETFs shown here include VDIV.DE, VVSM.DE, JEDI.DE and span 9 categories.

SymbolNameCategoryRisk / Return RankYTD ReturnAUMInception
VDIV.DE
VanEck Morningstar Developed Markets Dividend Lead...Global Equities, Dividend
88
9.79%
—May 2016DFEN.DE vs VDIV.DE
VVSM.DE
VanEck Semiconductor UCITS ETFSemiconductors, Technology Equities
96
86.02%
—Dec 2020DFEN.DE vs VVSM.DE
JEDI.DE
VanEck Space Innovators UCITS ETFIndustrials Equities
94
76.99%
—Jun 2022DFEN.DE vs JEDI.DE
NUKL.DE
VanEck Uranium and Nuclear Technologies UCITS ETF ...Energy Equities
34
11.67%
—Feb 2023DFEN.DE vs NUKL.DE
G2X.DE
VanEck Gold Miners UCITS ETFPrecious Metals
39
-1.03%
—Mar 2015DFEN.DE vs G2X.DE
DAVV.DE
VanEck Crypto and Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETFTechnology Equities
23
27.16%
—Apr 2021DFEN.DE vs DAVV.DE
VVMX.DE
VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals UCITS ETF ACommodity Producers Equities
87
30.24%
—Sep 2021DFEN.DE vs VVMX.DE
ESP0.DE
VanEck Video Gaming and eSports UCITS ETFTechnology Equities
4
-13.12%
—Jun 2019DFEN.DE vs ESP0.DE
TRET.DE
VanEck Global Real Estate UCITS ETFREIT
23
5.31%
—Apr 2011DFEN.DE vs TRET.DE
QUTM.DE
VanEck Quantum Computing UCITS ETF A USD AccTechnology Equities
52
33.86%
—May 2025DFEN.DE vs QUTM.DE

Often Compared With DFEN.DE

Investors most often compare DFEN.DE with DFNS.L, DFND.AS, ITA. These 20 comparison targets span 11 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

SymbolNameCategoryRisk / Return RankYTD ReturnAUMInception
DFNS.L
VanEck Defense UCITS ETFAerospace & Defense
20
3.39%
—Mar 2023DFEN.DE vs DFNS.L
DFND.AS
iShares Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETFIndustrials Equities———Feb 2024DFEN.DE vs DFND.AS
ITA
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETFAerospace & Defense, Industrials Equities
38
7.93%
14.33BMay 2006DFEN.DE vs ITA
PPA
Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETFAerospace & Defense, Industrials Equities
43
10.82%
8.37BOct 2005DFEN.DE vs PPA
JEDG.L
VanEck Space Innovators UCITS ETFIndustrials Equities
95
74.89%
—Jun 2022DFEN.DE vs JEDG.L
VGT
Vanguard Information Technology ETFTechnology Equities
76
30.49%
144.20BMar 2004DFEN.DE vs VGT
XMMO
Invesco S&P MidCap Momentum ETFMomentum, Mid Cap Growth Equities
71
24.24%
7.49BMar 2005DFEN.DE vs XMMO
CNX1.L
iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF USD (Acc)Nasdaq-100
78
19.85%
20.38BJan 2010DFEN.DE vs CNX1.L
VUSA.L
Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETFS&P 500
82
10.52%
39.02BMay 2019DFEN.DE vs VUSA.L
AYEP.DE
iShares Asia Property Yield UCITS ETF USD AccREIT
15
-5.35%
—Dec 2018DFEN.DE vs AYEP.DE
SPYG
State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETFS&P 500, Large Cap Growth Equities
60
13.73%
53.61BSep 2000DFEN.DE vs SPYG
ARMR.AX
Betashares Global Defence ETFAerospace & Defense
11
-4.35%
—Oct 2024DFEN.DE vs ARMR.AX
DBXD.DE
Xtrackers DAX UCITS ETF 1CEurope Equities
11
1.35%
—Jan 2007DFEN.DE vs DBXD.DE
GBSP.L
WisdomTree Physical Gold - GBP Daily HedgedPrecious Metals
35
3.18%
2.65BMar 2013DFEN.DE vs GBSP.L
EQAC.MI
Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100 UCITS ETF AccNasdaq-100
73
20.38%
—Sep 2018DFEN.DE vs EQAC.MI
ETLX.DE
L&G Gold Mining UCITS ETFPrecious Metals
37
-2.30%
—Sep 2008DFEN.DE vs ETLX.DE
4MMR.DE
Global X Defence Tech UCITS ETF USD AccumulatingAerospace & Defense
15
-1.20%
——DFEN.DE vs 4MMR.DE
LCHM.DE
Lyxor STOXX Europe 600 Chemicals UCITS ETF AccIndustrials Equities
55
22.92%
—Aug 2006DFEN.DE vs LCHM.DE
VOO
Vanguard S&P 500 ETFS&P 500
74
11.34%
1.60TSep 2010DFEN.DE vs VOO
EXV6.DE
iShares STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources UCITS ETF...Industrials Equities
87
31.77%
—Jul 2002DFEN.DE vs EXV6.DE

Compare DFEN.DE with Any Fund or Stock

Compare DFEN.DE with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

 

Diversifiers

Pair DFEN.DE with funds that move differently

VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to DFEN.DE.

Explore DFEN.DE Diversifiers