Disseminated on behalf of ZenaTech (NASDAQ: ZENA)
The sky’s the limit for drone stocks, such as ZenaTech (NASDAQ: ZENA), AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), Leonardo DRS (NASDAQ: DRS), Ondas Holdings (NASDAQ: ONDS), and Unusual Machines Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: UMAC).
That’s because drones are quickly becoming an essential tool for the U.S. government, especially with President Trump’s recently unveiled an $892.6 billion defense and national security budget proposal for 2026, the Administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that unlocks federal funding for domestic production, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s latest policy.
That’s in addition to demand from multi-billion-dollar businesses involved in defense, construction, logistics, agriculture, oil and gas, public security and even deliveries.
All of which is also fueling a potential $355.55 billion drone-as-a-service (DaaS) market.
According to Research and Markets, the DaaS industry is expected to be worth about $355.55 billion by 2032. All thanks to strong business demand for enhanced efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Plus, with DaaS there’s no need for upfront costs or operational licensing.
That’s a significant benefit to companies, like ZenaTech, whose uniqe DaaS model for drones set its apart from its competition.
At the moment, ZenaTech’s Drone as a Service (DaaS) business model offers both business and government customers reduced costs and convenience to utilize drones to streamline legacy processes and manual tasks such as inspections, surveying, maintenance, precision agriculture and inventory management ─ there is no need to purchase drone hardware and software, find a drone pilot, manage maintenance and operation, or acquire regulatory approvals.
The model also offers scalability to use more often or less often based on business needs and utilizes ZenaDrone’s multifunction AI autonomous drones.
ZenaTech also just Acquired Cardinal Civil Resources, a Land Surveying and Engineering Firm Serving Three States and Large Customers Including the US Department of Transportation
ZenaTech just announced it closed its eighth and largest Drone as a Service acquisition to date.
The Company acquired Cardinal Civil Resources, a land surveying and engineering firm headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia with operations across Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The acquisition deepens ZenaTech’s DaaS footprint in the Southeast region and portfolio of marquee major customers including the US Department of Transportation (USDOT).
The acquisition also comes at a pivotal time for the domestic drone industry, aligning with the recent policy directive BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) proposal introduced by US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, aimed at expanding the commercial use of unmanned systems nationwide.
According to Shaun Passley, Ph.D., ZenaTech CEO:
“This eighth acquisition not only further expands our national footprint, but it connects us to a deeply rooted base of premier long-term government and commercial clients. Cardinal’s trusted relationships, from transportation agencies to nationally recognized homebuilders, provides a solid foundation to scale Drone as a Service in the Southeast. With the proposed BVLOS rule just introduced by the US Transportation Secretary and growing national momentum around domestic infrastructure modernization, we believe ZenaTech’s DaaS is well-positioned to lead where innovation meets demand.”
Cardinal Civil Resources enhances ZenaTech’s DaaS capabilities in the following key areas:
- Established Southeast Operations and immediate entry into high-growth markets across Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, regions with sustained infrastructure investment and public contracting activity
- Multi-year Government Contracts with federal, state, and key local municipalities, which provides stable, long-term revenue and deepens the company’s expertise in public-sector projects
- Commercial/Builder Client Base, which spans national homebuilders, residential developers, airport facilities, and park services opens new verticals for scalable Drone as a Service deployment
So far, ZenaTech has now completed eight U.S. acquisitions out of its goal of of acquiring and establishing 25 Drone as a Service locations nationwide by mid-next year.
The company continues to acquire land survey engineering companies and other businesses ripe for innovation, to advance its national vision for a scalable, tech-enabled multiservice drone business anchored by existing customers and recurring revenue opportunities.
Other related developments from around the markets include:
AeroVironment, a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain autonomous systems, revealed Skyfall—a potential future mission concept for next-generation Mars Helicopters developed with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to help pave the way for human landing on Mars through autonomous aerial exploration. The concept is heavily focused on rapidly delivering an affordable, technically mature solution for expanded Mars exploration that would be ready for launch by 2028. Skyfall is designed to deploy six scout helicopters on Mars, where they would explore many of the sites selected by NASA and industry as top candidate landing sites for America's first Martian astronauts. While exploring the region, each helicopter can operate independently, beaming high-resolution surface imaging and sub-surface radar data back to Earth for analysis, helping ensure crewed vehicles make safe landings at areas with maximum amounts of water, ice, and other resources. The data Skyfall collects could also advance the nation's quest to discover whether Mars was ever habitable.
Leonardo DRS, a leading provider of advanced defense technologies, today reported financial results for the second quarter 2025, which ended June 30, 2025. “Leonardo DRS delivered another set of strong financial results marked by healthy bookings, solid organic revenue growth and continued profit and margin expansion in the second quarter. The need to deter and contest heightened global threats continues to bolster customer demand for our innovative, high-performance technologies. Amidst a more dynamic macro backdrop, we remain focused on disciplined execution and delivering differentiated capabilities to customers,” said Bill Lynn, Chairman and CEO of Leonardo DRS.
Ondas Holdings, a leading provider of private industrial wireless networks and commercial drone and automated data solutions, announced a new partnership agreement with Klear, Inc., a financial technology company offering non-dilutive working capital and treasury management solutions purpose-built for businesses serving critical supply chains. Under the terms of the agreement, Klear will serve as Ondas' preferred working capital finance partner across its expanding platform of subsidiaries, affiliates, and acquired companies. The partnership aims to accelerate liquidity access for innovation-focused companies operating within the Ondas ecosystem and to support Ondas' strategic growth through acquisitions of capital-constrained but high-potential defense and security related drone and AI technology platforms.
Unusual Machines Inc. a leader in drone technology and component manufacturing, announced its inclusion in the Russell Microcap® Index, effective today. The addition reflects the company's accelerating growth and aligns with its ongoing strategy to scale U.S. operations and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities. "Being added to the Russell Microcap Index marks an important milestone in our growth journey," said CEO Allan Evans. "It reflects increasing visibility in the market and underscores the strategic steps we're taking to advance a strong, U.S.-based foundation for long-term success." In parallel, Unusual Machines is expanding its U.S.-based workforce to support this next phase of growth, with hiring underway across engineering, operations, and manufacturing roles.
Legal Disclaimer / Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Winning Media is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Winning Media is only compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation. Pursuant to an agreement Winning Media has been paid three thousand five hundred dollars for advertising and marketing services for ZenaTech by ZenaTech. We own ZERO shares of ZenaTech. Please click here for full disclaimer.
Contact Information:
Ty Hoffer
Winning Media
281.804.7972
[email protected]