Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract
Published . Updated .
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A federal judge’s ruling on the side of the small defense contractor was a rarity, as most company protests against government bidding decisions do not prevail.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF+1.1% 30d
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story.
- XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF-4.4% 30d
SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story.
- LMT Lockheed Martin+21.8% 30d
Lockheed Martin (guided missiles and space vehicles and parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story.
- RTX Rtx+5.4% 11d
Rtx (aircraft engines and engine parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story.
- NOC Northrop Grumman+7.0% 30d
Northrop Grumman (search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical sys): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story.
- GD General Dynamics+9.0% 30d
General Dynamics (ship and boat building and repairing): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA | -4.02% | -3.08% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XAR | -3.84% | -2.83% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| LMT | -1.51% | -0.41% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| RTX | -3.80% | -1.96% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| NOC | +0.45% | +1.37% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| GD | -5.31% | -0.39% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
A federal judge’s ruling on the side of the small defense contractor was a rarity, as most company protests against government bidding decisions do not prevail.
Source: The New York Times
Price since this story was published: IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics (GD) | three days earlier | -0.39% | final price |
| General Dynamics (GD) | five days earlier | -5.31% | final price |
| IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) | three days earlier | -3.08% | final price |
| IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) | five days earlier | -4.02% | final price |
| Lockheed Martin (LMT) | three days earlier | -0.41% | final price |
| Lockheed Martin (LMT) | five days earlier | -1.51% | final price |
| Northrop Grumman (NOC) | three days earlier | +1.37% | final price |
| Northrop Grumman (NOC) | five days earlier | +0.45% | final price |
| Rtx (RTX) | three days earlier | -1.96% | final price |
| Rtx (RTX) | five days earlier | -3.80% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XAR) | three days earlier | -2.83% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XAR) | five days earlier | -3.84% | final price |
Congressional stock trades in IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 41 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 41 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Lockheed Martin (LMT) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 17 Sep 2026. That is 47 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) on one side of this defense story
The side that tends to collect
- LMT Lockheed Martin
In “Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract,” Lockheed Martin (LMT) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Lockheed Martin (guided missiles and space vehicles and parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
- RTX Rtx
For “Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract,” Rtx (RTX) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Rtx (aircraft engines and engine parts): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
- NOC Northrop Grumman
In “Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract,” Northrop Grumman (NOC) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Northrop Grumman (search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical sys): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
No up or down call on file
- ITA IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 3 Nov 2026 story “Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract.” Reason on file: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
- XAR Spdr Series Trust
For “Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract,” Spdr Series Trust (XAR) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
- GD General Dynamics
For “Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract,” General Dynamics (GD) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: General Dynamics (ship and boat building and repairing): defense contractors gain when military spending rises. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
How “Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract” reaches IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
“Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract” (3 Nov 2026) reaches IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) through Defense.
For IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA), the reason on file says iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
A second company, Spdr Series Trust (XAR), is listed for a different reason: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drone” (defense) in this story
Dates and price levels for IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
ITA traded between 197.59 and 218.73 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 216.38. LMT traded between 497.32 and 656.35 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 639.35. XAR traded between 210.89 and 237.55 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 231.04.
A simple score for IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
46 out of 100
“Drone Boat Maker Saildrone Wins Protest Over Navy Contract” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 6 linked companies.