The REX Drone ETF (DRNZ) may only have been on the market for less than a year now, but this fund has certainly enjoyed fortuitous momentum in the past few months. Recently, the fund passed the laudable $100 million threshold for assets under management. Currently, as of June 2, 2026, DRNZ has $119 million in assets under management.
Key Takeaways:
The REX Drone ETF (DRNZ) is sitting well over the $100 AUM threshold, as of June 2, 2026.
Part of the fund’s success may be attributed to its index’s stock selection process, as some of the index’s individual stocks had incredibly strong performances in May.
Beyond individual companies, DRNZ is also benefitting from favorable defense and AI trends that favor the drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) space.
As one would expect from the fund’s title, DRNZ provides focused exposure to companies across the globe that are engaged in the drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) business. Notably, this includes for both defense and commercial use.
See More: 3 Stocks Drive Strong Performance Inside DRNZ
This fund saw significant inflows this year, which helped propel it past the $100 million goal post. Between January 1, 2026 and May 29, 2026, DRNZ received about $71 million in net inflows.
DRNZ builds its global exposure to these industries with the help of the VettaFi Drone Index. By examining how the index’s constituents performed in May, advisors and investors can better understand the growing enthusiasm behind the fund’s approach.
The Drone Stocks that Soared in May
In particular, many of the companies within the index’s tech sector saw breakout performances in May. For example, Unusual Machines Inc. saw returns rise a whopping 123% for the month, driven in part by a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump administration may choose the company for a Pentagon funding deal.
Meanwhile, Ondas Inc. also had a terrific May, with returns of 29.12% for the month. To make matters even better for the company looking ahead, Ondas just announced a new multimillion deal with the U.S. Navy to provide high-altitude balloons.
See More: Drone Funding News Sent DRNZ 15% Higher
While the strength of these individual companies is already an attractive factor for the fund, there are also broad factors working in favor of the drone industry. While geopolitical tensions are escalating, the U.S. government is making a thorough effort to amplify its defense spending, with the administration already proposing a defense budget of $1.5 trillion for Fiscal Year 2027.
Defense spending isn’t the only factor working in favor of the drone and UAV industry right now. Momentum from AI innovation and adoption won’t be going away any time soon, and drone and UAV companies of all kinds could certainly stand to benefit.
All in all, this approach has led to DRNZ offering a highly potent performance thus far this year. Year to date, the fund is up 32.18%, as of June 2, 2026.
For more news, information, and analysis, visit the Thematic Investing Content Hub.
VettaFi LLC (“VettaFi”) is the index provider for DRNZ which it receives an index licensing fee. However, DRNZ is not issued, sponsored, endorsed, or sold by VettaFi, and VettaFi has no obligation or liability in connection with the issuance, administration, marketing, or trading of DRNZ.
