Massive catalysts are sending drone stocks, such as ZenaTech (NASDAQ: ZENA), Red Cat Holdings (NASDAQ: RCAT), Ondas Holdings (NASDAQ: ONDS), Unusual Machines Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: UMAC) and Leonardo DRS Inc. (NASDAQ: DRS) sky high.
That includes the Trump Administration’s strong demand for drones.
In fact, President Trump’s recently unveiled an $892.6 billion defense and national security budget proposal for 2026, could boost spending on drones “in part because of lessons learned during Russia's war in Ukraine, where unmanned aircraft have proven to be an integral part of low-cost, yet highly effective fighting,” as noted by Reuters.
There’s also Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s latest policy directive, Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance, which just made it easier for American drone companies—especially those building Group 1 and 2 affordable drone systems—to sell directly to the military, scale production, and innovate without delays from traditional defense procurement bottlenecks including Blue UAS certification timelines.
Also, thanks to the latest DoD policy directives from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, companies, such as ZenaTech just confirmed that its entire portfolio of ZenaDrone drones qualify as Group 1–2 expendable assets and are now enabled for direct purchases even for prototypes, by field commanders for both training and real-world missions.
We also have to consider that the global drone market – worth about $36.14 billion in 2023 – could be worth an estimated $88 billion over the next five years, as noted by Grand View Research. That’s just another reason to get excited about drone stocks, like ZenaTech.
Another Reason: ZenaTech’s ZenaDrone Initiated AUVSI Membership Upgrade, Enabling Leadership on Drone Policy and Strengthening US Defense and Government Engagement
ZenaTech’s drone subsidiary, ZenaDrone is upgrading its membership to the Advocacy level with the influential Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), enabling it to join both the Defense Advocacy Committee and Air Advocacy Committee. This will allow the company to engage alongside top US drone and defense innovators, such as Skydio, Anduril, Leidos and Shield AI, to elevate its leadership role in shaping critical drone policy and procurement as well as deepening relationships with important stakeholders and decisionmakers.
As noted by Shaun Passley, Ph.D., ZenaTech CEO, “This is a clear investment in speed to market and long-term procurement success. By joining AUVSI’s Defense and Air Advocacy Committees, ZenaDrone gains direct access to the policy, compliance, and acquisition conversations that shape Department of Defense agency procurement. It positions us alongside trusted defense leaders and innovators, accelerating our path to Green and Blue UAS certification by strengthening our ability to meet the security, interoperability, and regulatory expectations of federal buyers and leverage growth opportunities.”
Through an upgraded Advocacy membership, ZenaDrone will be able to collaborate with AUVSI’s network of industry leaders and regulators to influence federal drone policies and shape the future of the drone industry in the US.
This participation provides direct access to federal decision-makers, enabling influence on key policy areas such as BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) regulation and streamlined procurement, while ensuring the company’s drone platforms remain aligned with the evolving operational needs and priorities of US defense and government agencies.
It’s also creating a $355.55 billion Drone as a Service (DaaS) market opportunity.
Over the next several years, the DaaS market could be worth about $355.55 billion, as noted by Research and Markets. All thanks to expanding government support from President Trump’s latest bill and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s latest policy directive.
Within the industry, we can look at unique companies, like ZenaTech, for example.
Unlike its peers, ZENA offers a unique DaaS AI-powered drone solution, where clients don’t need to purchase or even manage their own drone hardware and software.
In addition, 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 also no need to purchase drone hardware and software, find a drone pilot, manage maintenance and operation, or acquire regulatory approvals.
Other related developments from around the markets include:
Red Cat Holdings, a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, today issued a statement of support for a series of executive orders from the White House that advance U.S. leadership in uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and reinforce the resilience of America’s domestic industrial base. The executive actions are expected to remove regulatory barriers and modernize federal approval processes to prioritize U.S.-manufactured drones. Additional provisions include expanded detection and mitigation authority, and streamlined regulations to accelerate the deployment of UAS across federal and commercial sectors. “These executive orders send a clear signal that the U.S. is serious about enabling a secure domestic drone industry that supports mission-critical outcomes for the U.S. and its allies,” said Brendan Stewart, VP of Regulatory Affairs at Red Cat. “This level of policy alignment removes barriers to fielding trusted, American-made systems at scale. Red Cat stands ready to meet this moment with its proven, electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing systems that utilize advanced AI and computer vision solutions from partners including Palantir, Palladyne AI, Athena AI and Primordial Labs.”
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, 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."
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.
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