PALM BEACH, Fla., March 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FN Media Group News Commentary - The business use cases of commercial drones have expanded significantly over the past few years. They are being increasingly adopted in the construction and real estate sectors due to their ability to survey the property, offer constant and exact project alerts, increase safety, and prevent harmful accidents on construction sites. Moreover, their conventional applications, such as monitoring, surveillance, and security, have instigated the product demand for search and rescue operations, identifying unstable roofs in dangerous and inaccessible positions, tracking out elevated infrastructure that might have damaged electrical cables, etc. A recent report from Grand View Research said that: “The global commercial drone market size was estimated at USD 30.02 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.6% from 2025 to 2030. The market growth is attributed to the increasing enterprise application of drones across various industry verticals. Several drone manufacturers are continually testing, inventing, and upgrading solutions for diverse markets used for various applications, including filming and emergency response. Besides, the integration of modern technologies in commercial drones to deliver enhanced solutions is opening new growth opportunities for the commercial drone market.” Active Companies in the markets today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO).
The Grand View Research report continued: “Technological advances allow companies to design and construct measurement and annotation tools for estimating area, volume, and distance. As a result, organizations are constantly adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions to retrieve accurate findings from large volumes of data. Integration of these modern technologies provides the industry with ample opportunities as they facilitate real-time, data-driven decision-making through high-speed data capture, processing, and transfer. AI-powered drones also allow users to interact and observe footage captured by other drones in real-time and track their flight paths. The North America commercial drone market is expected to grow at a considerable CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period, owing to the ongoing advancements in drone technology, favorable government initiatives, and growing demand from enterprises across numerous industries. For instance, in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued new regulations to create more coherent and consistent standards for the legal and safe operation of UAVs in commercial spaces. These rules and regulations are anticipated to decrease entry barriers and boost product usage, thereby favoring the market expansion further.”
ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) Expands ZenaDrone Team by 35 Engineers and Technicians to Meet Drone Production Manufacturing Capacity - ZenaTech, Inc. (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) ("ZenaTech"), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drones, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions, announces today that its subsidiary ZenaDrone is expanding its team of drone engineers, technicians, and R&D engineers by adding 35 new hires to meet production line and capability requirements for the manufacturing of its drone products.
“As we transition from the prototype stages to full-scale production of our drones, we are adding qualified engineering, manufacturing and technical talent to commence and accelerate full-scale manufacturing and assembly. Expanding our production line capacity by adding these resources is a critical step in delivering our drones to market efficiently while meeting our monthly production goals,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.
The ZenaDrone 1000 and IQ series of drones will be manufactured in the company’s 10,000-foot manufacturing facility in Sharjah, UAE where prototype and R&D development, drone assembly, flight testing, and quality control functions also take place. ZenaDrone’s engineers include multi-disciplinary area backgrounds including mechanical, avionic, electrical and electronics specializations. Drone technicians have manufacturing or drone industry backgrounds and are specialists in a variety of assembly line production, flight testing, and quality control areas. Of the new team members, 15 have joined the company already and an additional 20 are expected to be onboard over the next one to two months.
The ZenaDrone 1000 is an autonomous multifunction drone offering stable flight, maneuverability, heavy lift capabilities, innovative software technology, sensors, AI, and purpose-built attachments, along with compact and rugged hardware engineered for military and industrial use. The company previously completed two paid trials with the US Air Force and the US Navy Reserve for logistics and transportation applications carrying critical cargo, such as blood, in the field.
The ZenaDrone IQ Square is an outdoor drone designed to be an advanced AI multifunction drone designed for commercial inspections, land surveys and other outdoor applications, and for the defense sector for various inspections and reconnaissance missions. Equipped with state-of-the-art cameras and sensors, the IQ Square offers a flight time of approximately 20 minutes when used with its autonomous recharging pad and can carry a payload of up to seven kilograms. With a footprint of 41X41 inches, the VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing), drone features retractable landing gear for enhanced functionality and adaptability.
The ZenaDrone IQ Nano is an indoor drone and comes in 10x10-inch or 20X20-inch models, designed to perform regular and frequent inspections such as bar code or RFID scanning, facility maintenance inspections, security monitoring, 3D indoor mapping inside a warehouse, distribution, or plant facility. The IQ Nano is designed for autonomous use featuring integrated sensors, high-quality cameras, and data collection and analysis. Weighing 1.5kg and with a flight time of up to 20 minutes before utilizing the automatic battery charging station, it is designed for hovering stability and for safety with obstacle avoidance capabilities. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/
Other recent developments in the markets this week include:
Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) recently announced the establishment of its new U.S. location in Tampa, Florida. Strategically positioned near key military and government clients, this expansion includes a demonstration and live fire testing facility, reinforcing Draganfly’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge drone solutions to its U.S. customers.
The Tampa facility is part of Draganfly’s long-term strategy to grow its government business, aligning with increasing demand from defense, law enforcement, and industrial sectors. While this expansion has been in development for some time, its opening is especially timely given the recent geopolitical trade measures.
“For over 20 years, Draganfly has been at the forefront of providing innovative drone solutions to government, law enforcement, and industrial clients,” said Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly. “Our new Tampa facility underscores our commitment to the U.S. market, offering a critical hub for product demonstrations and live testing. The company continues to maintain and invest in its North American manufacturing facilities, ensuring high-quality production and ongoing support for Canadian and international clients."
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) recently announced the award of the Short/Medium Range Sub-Orbital Vehicle (SSOV) II contract as a partner to Corvid Technologies, LLC. The contract, awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, White Sands Detachment, will encompass the design, manufacture, and delivery of short- and medium-range suborbital vehicles, including provision of ground test hardware, special test equipment, materials, engineering, and launch support services. The contract includes options which, if exercised, bring the potential subcontract value to greater than $50 million.
Josh Peterson, Senior Vice President at Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services, said, “This subcontract award as a partner to Corvid Technologies underscores our team’s ability to deliver advanced, cost-effective solutions that meet the critical launch service needs of our customers. The suborbital vehicle configurations provided under this contract significantly enhance the nation’s ability to rapidly and affordably demonstrate emerging technologies. We are proud to continue supporting the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, White Sands Detachment, in this very vital mission.”
AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain autonomous solutions, recently announced the launch of the JUMP® 20-X, a next-generation, modular Group 3 uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) designed to meet the dynamic demands of modern warfare. Setting a new benchmark for autonomous maritime operations, the JUMP 20-X delivers unrivaled versatility, efficiency, and precision in contested and complex environments.
Unveiled at the 2025 International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX), the JUMP 20-X is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) medium uncrewed aircraft system (MUAS) engineered to revolutionize shipboard UAS operations. With an advanced heavy-fuel engine capable of running on multiple fuel types, JUMP 20-X enhances operational flexibility, simplifies refueling logistics, and ensures mission adaptability across diverse maritime and expeditionary environments.
Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, recently announced the appointment of Christian Koji Ericson as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective March 17, 2025.
Ericson brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience, including 11 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and senior finance roles at Nu Skin Enterprises, where he served as Chief Audit Executive, VP of Business Development, and VP of Finance for its agriculture technology division. Most recently, Ericson was Head of Finance and Accounting at Western Steel Buildings, where he played a pivotal role in scaling financial operations and optimizing compliance and governance structures to support rapid business growth.
About FN Media Group:
At FN Media Group, via our top-rated online news portal at www.financialnewsmedia.com, we are one of the very few select firms providing top tier one syndicated news distribution, targeted ticker tag press releases and stock market news coverage for today’s emerging companies. #tickertagpressreleases #pressreleases
Follow us on Facebook to receive the latest news updates: https://www.facebook.com/financialnewsmedia
Follow us on Twitter for real time Market News: https://twitter.com/FNMgroup
Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/financialnewsmedia/
DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated fifty one hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by ZenaTech, Inc. by the Company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.
This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.
Contact Information:
Media Contact email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com - +1(561)325-8757
SOURCE: FN Media Group
