June 10, 2026 · 10 min read
NATO spending commitments, drone warfare doctrines, and AI-integrated battlefield systems are driving the largest multi-year defense budget expansion since the Cold War. Here's a full-metrics breakdown of the best plays — from prime contractors to AI defense software.
Backlog data in $B. AI scores use BriMindInvest's composite signal (20–96 scale). Defense gross margins are lower than tech — they reflect cost-plus contract structures, not business quality. Data June 2026.
| Ticker | AI Score | Fwd P/E | Rev Growth | Backlog $B | Div Yield | Buy% | Target ↑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX | 79 | 22x | +10% | $206B | 2.2% | 73% | +15% |
| GD | 77 | 20x | +9% | $93B | 2.1% | 74% | +14% |
| LMT | 76 | 18x | +6% | $160B | 2.8% | 50% | +10% |
| NOC | 74 | 20x | +5% | $84B | 1.6% | 50% | +12% |
| PLTR | 73 | 120x | +36% | $5B | — | 30% | +5% |
Backlog represents legally binding future revenue — contracts already signed but not yet recognised as income. A $206B backlog for RTX means ~3.5 years of revenue is already committed, regardless of future contract wins. No other sector offers this level of forward revenue visibility.
Free AI scores, backlog data, dividend yields, and analyst targets for any two defense stocks.