Palantir has emerged as a disruptive force in the AI realm, ushering in a wave of enthusiastic investors to the defense tech space.Palantir Technologies was the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 during the first half of 2025. With shares soaring by 80% through the first six months of the year -- and by 427% over the last 12 months -- Palantir has helped drive a lot of attention to the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and defense contracting.Palantir is far from the only company ...