The durable defense-prime/ETF layer cooled broadly this cycle after extending hard last time — RTX's RSI eased from 77.8 to 70.7 while holding its breakout regime, and ITA and DFEN both gave back a big chunk of last cycle's RSI gains. LASR is the one clean recovery, its RSI climbing back from a sharp cooldown to 51.2. The nine-name pure-play collapse pocket held its exact membership for a third straight cycle, though DRSHF's RSI fell further to 21.2, now the lowest reading in the book.

Data as-of the 2026-07-31 close for the full 22-name book — no staleness this cycle. Prior scan: 2026-07-28-drone-defense (data as-of the 2026-07-28 close).

After last cycle's broad extension, the durable prime/ETF layer cooled across nearly every name this cycle. RTX's RSI eased from 77.8 to 70.7 while its regime held breakout, its 30-day gain still a strong +12.22% though its distance from its 52-week high widened slightly to -2.76%. ITA's RSI fell from 62.3 to 53.7 and DFEN's from 61.4 to 52.0 — both gave back a large share of last cycle's sharp gains, DFEN's 7-day print flipping from +20.52% to -1.33%. MSI cooled from RSI 67.3 to 62.2 and NOC from 58.2 to 54.4, both still holding their prior regime tags (basing and pullback respectively). TDY's RSI held almost exactly flat at 57.5 even as its 30-day return flipped from +1.32% to -0.85% — a name whose momentum reading didn't move even as the underlying return crossed zero. AXON held its pullback regime for a second cycle after repairing out of downtrend last time, RSI easing from 56.4 to 52.1 as its 30-day print widened to -11.15%. Against that broad cooling, LASR is the standout recovery: after cooling hard last cycle (RSI 51.1 to 44.2), it climbed back to 51.2 this cycle with its thesis still rated intact and its 30-day return back to +2.75%. The nine-name pure-play collapse pocket (AVAV, KTOS, KRKNF, ONDS, DRSHF, RCAT, AMPX, PL, DPRO) held its exact membership for a third straight cycle. Internals split both ways: AMPX's RSI climbed from 32.0 to 38.3 and its 30-day loss narrowed to -29.36%, while AVAV and KTOS both flipped from positive to negative 30-day returns (AVAV -13.38%, was +12.48%; KTOS -12.14%, was +3.6%) without a regime change either way. DRSHF's RSI fell further to 21.2, now the lowest reading in the book, its 30-day loss deepening to -26.95%.

• RTX: RSI cooled 77.8 → 70.7, regime held breakout; -2.76% from 52-week high (was -1.25%).
• ITA: RSI 62.3 → 53.7, still uptrend; 30-day -1.72% (was +2.45%).
• DFEN: RSI 61.4 → 52.0, still pullback; 7-day flipped -1.33% (was +20.52%), giving back nearly all of last cycle's spike.
• LMT: RSI 71.0 → 68.1, roughly flat, still basing; -15.79% from high (was -16.0%).
• MSI: RSI 67.3 → 62.2, still basing; 30-day +4.01% (was +6.72%).
• NOC: RSI 58.2 → 54.4, still pullback; 30-day +4.33% (was +10.73%), decelerating.
• TDY: RSI held flat at 57.5, still basing; 30-day flipped -0.85% (was +1.32%) even as RSI didn't move.
• AXON: RSI 56.4 → 52.1, regime held pullback (second cycle after its repair from downtrend); 30-day widened to -11.15% (was +7.26%).
• LASR: RSI recovered 44.2 → 51.2, thesis still intact; 30-day flipped back positive to +2.75% (was -2.68%).
• UMAC: RSI 49.6 → 53.1, still pullback; 30-day -8.87% (was +3.59%).
• ONDS: RSI 49.1 → 46.5, regime still collapse; 30-day deepened to -5.43% (was -2.0%).
• KTOS: RSI 46.5 → 44.1, regime still collapse; 30-day flipped negative to -12.14% (was +3.6%).
• AVAV: RSI 50.3 → 47.2, regime still collapse; 30-day flipped negative to -13.38% (was +12.48%).
• AMPX: RSI 32.0 → 38.3, regime still collapse; 30-day narrowed to -29.36% (was -32.47%).
• RCAT: RSI 36.8 → 40.5, regime still collapse; 30-day roughly flat at -28.63% (was -27.81%).
• PL: RSI 29.8 → 32.8, regime still collapse, thesis still rated broken; 30-day roughly flat at -35.21% (was -34.72%).
• DPRO: RSI 35.6 → 39.8, regime still collapse; 30-day roughly flat at -21.44% (was -20.23%).
• DRSHF: RSI 26.0 → 21.2, still the lowest in the book, regime still collapse; 30-day deepened to -26.95% (was -18.4%).
• AVEX: RSI 40.6 → 48.7, still too-young; 30-day roughly flat at -15.28% (was -15.22%).
• EOPSF: RSI held exactly flat at 36.5, still too-young; 30-day deepened to -31.82% (was -28.49%).

Regime labels describe chart structure, not a buy/sell call. Nothing in the durable prime/ETF layer lost its structural tag this cycle — the cooling across RTX, ITA, DFEN, MSI, and NOC reads as digestion after an extended move, not a reversal. LASR's recovery matters more than a single week's RSI print because it reverses last cycle's sharpest cooldown in the book. The nine-name collapse pocket kept its exact membership for a third straight cycle — price improving inside a still-collapse tag (AMPX, RCAT) is stabilization, not repair, and price worsening inside that same tag (AVAV, KTOS, DRSHF) is a real signal even without a fresh regime downgrade.

Tier A — Durable prime/ETF layer, cooling from last cycle's extension (9): RTX (breakout), LMT (basing), MSI (basing), TDY (basing), ESLT (pullback), NOC (pullback), ITA (uptrend), DFEN (pullback), AXON (pullback).

Tier B — Thesis-rated, recovering: LASR. Thesis still intact, RSI climbed back after last cycle's sharp cooldown.

Tier C — Pure-play, pullback (no collapse tag): UMAC.

Tier D — Structural avoid, collapse regime (9 of 22, membership unchanged for a third cycle): AVAV, KTOS, KRKNF, ONDS, DRSHF, RCAT, AMPX, PL (thesis: broken), DPRO.

Tier E — Data caveat, too-young regime: AVEX, EOPSF.

• Tape data (price/RSI/SMA/returns): full-scan pre-computed summaries as of the 2026-07-31 close — drone-defense.