Harrison Township, MI – November 11, 2026 – The Global UAV (Drone) Market Size is projected to grow from USD 42.72 billion in 2026 to USD 83.51 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 14.3% from 2026-2031. The market is growing as drones are used more across defense, commercial, industrial, agriculture, logistics, and public safety applications. Demand for autonomous operations, real-time data collection, and aerial monitoring is increasing the use of advanced UAV (drone) platforms across different industries. Improvements in artificial intelligence, sensors, communication systems, propulsion technologies, and battery systems are helping drones perform better.
Source: UAV (Drone) Market https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/unmanned-aerial-vehicles-uav-market-662.html
After all the military operations against Iran and elsewhere in the world over the course of 2026, the United States is now in unquestioned need to replenish and upgrade its weapons inventories, prepare for future operational needs, increasingly including drones of all types, and AI tech, plus the building up of industrial capacity necessary to support these vitally important layers of our national defense.
Military operations with Iran have already consumed substantial quantities of available missiles and related munitions as well as specialized components. Because of the complexity of modern systems, replacement has a long turnaround time, in some cases years. There is no option to simply wait for a new need to arise. Weapons and weapon systems must be put in place before they are needed. Present day conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have clearly established that AI supported drone options are now a vital component to modern warfare budgeting and planning.
The White House has estimated a $1.5 trillion defense budget will be needed for 2027. The final amount may be adjusted up or down and any way we look at it, the financial requirements to rebuild and modernize our weapons stocks will be massive. The expense will also be unavoidable because America simply must have its military capabilities maintained as the best and the most formidable in the world.
The continued integration of AI, autonomous navigation, and advanced sensor systems is strongly influencing UAV market growth, letting drones perform complex operations with improved accuracy and efficiency. High budgets for defense modernization programs and the growing use of drones in all types of operations should continue to support strong expansion across both military and commercial applications worldwide for the foreseeable future.
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Drones-as-a-Service (DaaS) is rising in popularity for its economic benefits. This option provides a faster and more cost-efficient way to use advanced drone technology. DaaS is becoming more desired in industries including construction, power plants, agriculture, pipelines, and emergency management to collect high-quality data, speed up project completion, and overall lower costs. Some leading companies in the AUV/Drone industries include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO), Quantum Cyber N.V. (NASDAQ: QUCY) and Unusual Machines, Inc. (NYSE American: UMAC).
Autonomous underwater vehicles, (AUVs) are helping with sea mine detection for multiple navy services. The naval mine detection UUV market alone is projected to grow from $1.87 billion this year to $3.03 billion by 2030. Take the AUV market in general and it’s about to jump from $4.23 billion in 2025 to $14.51 billion by 2033. Some projections are as much as 24.4% a year, which would make this one of the highest value areas in the defense sector.
Key emerging companies in the increasingly important UAV Drone sector include:
ZenaTech, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZENA) $ZENA is a technology company specializing in AI drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions for mission-critical applications for business, government and defense. Since 2017, ZENA has leveraged its software development expertise and grown its drone design and manufacturing capabilities through ZenaDrone, to innovate and improve customer inspection, monitoring, safety, security, compliance, and surveying processes. With enterprise software customers using branded solutions in law enforcement, government, and industrial sectors, and drones being implemented in these plus agriculture, defense, and logistics sectors, the ZENA portfolio of solutions helps drive speed, precision, and cost savings. ZENA operates through global offices in North America, Europe, Taiwan, and UAE, and is growing its DaaS business and global network of locations through acquisitions. For more information visit: www.zenatech.com.
Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO; CSE: DPRO; FSE: 3U8) is a leader in cutting-edge drone solutions and software that are transforming industries and serving stakeholders globally. Recognized for innovation and excellence for over 25 years, Draganfly is an award-winning Original Equipment Manufacturer and technology integrator to the public safety, civil, military, agriculture, industrial inspection, security, mapping, and surveying markets. The Company is driven by passion, ingenuity, and a mission to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to customers worldwide, saving time, money, and lives. For more information visit: www.draganfly.com.
Quantum Cyber N.V. (Nasdaq: QUCY) is assembling an AI-powered, quantum-accelerated System-of-Systems autonomous defense platform that integrates drone warfare, counter-UAS, autonomous naval mine countermeasures, EMP shielding, anti-drone ammunition, command-and-control, and quantum antenna applications under a single Nasdaq-listed company. The Company acquires, licenses, and develops combat-proven autonomous technologies, deploying them as a coordinated, multi-domain portfolio across air, land, and sea.
Unusual Machines (NYSE American: UMAC) manufactures and sells drone components and drones across a diversified brand portfolio, which includes Fat Shark, the leader in FPV (first-person view) ultra-low latency video goggles for drone pilots. The Company also retails small, acrobatic FPV drones and equipment directly to consumers through the curated Rotor Riot ecommerce store. With a changing regulatory environment, Unusual Machines seeks to be a dominant Tier-1 parts supplier to the fast-growing multi-billion-dollar U.S. drone industry. According to Fact.MR, the global drone accessories market is currently valued at $17.5 billion and is set to top $115 billion by 2032.
Safe Pro Group Inc. (Nasdaq: SPAI) is a mission-driven technology company delivering AI-enabled security and defense solutions. Through cutting-edge platforms like SPOTD, Safe Pro provides advanced situational awareness tools for defense, humanitarian, and homeland security applications globally. The Company is a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions specializing in drone imagery processing, leveraging commercially available off-the-shelf drones with its proprietary machine learning and computer vision technology to enable rapid identification of explosive threats, providing a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional human-based analysis methods. Built on a cloud-based ecosystem and powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Safe Pro Group’s scalable platform targets multiple markets, including commercial, government, law enforcement, and humanitarian sectors where its Safe Pro AI software, Safe-Pro USA protective gear, and Airborne Response drone-based services can work in synergy to deliver safety and operational efficiency.
AEVEX Corp. (NYSE: AVEX) is a leading U.S. defense technology company delivering autonomous unmanned systems, AI-enabled mission software, and advanced ISR and electronic warfare solutions for national security customers. With vertically integrated engineering, rapid prototyping, and high-volume manufacturing across multiple U.S. locations, AEVEX provides affordable, front-line-ready capabilities designed for contested and GPS-denied environments. AEVEX’s mission is to strengthen deterrence, enhance warfighter effectiveness, and help ensure the United States maintains technological and industrial advantage in the era of autonomy. For more information visit: www.aevex.com.
Red Cat (Nasdaq: RCAT) is a U.S.-based provider of advanced all-domain drone and robotic solutions for defense and national security. Through its integrated portfolio of trusted U.S. and allied hardware and software, Red Cat supports military, government, and public safety operations across air, land, sea and space. Its systems span small, unmanned aircraft systems, uncrewed surface vessels, wireless power transfer technology, and autonomous swarming software to enhance situational awareness, operational effectiveness, and mission safety.
Ondas, Inc. (Nasdaq:ONDS) is a leading provider of autonomous systems, robotics, and mission-critical technologies for defense, homeland security, public safety, critical infrastructure, and industrial markets. The Company develops and deploys integrated unmanned and autonomous platforms across air, ground, and stratospheric environments, including autonomous drone systems, counter-UAS technologies, robotic ground systems, advanced unmanned aircraft and propulsion solutions, demining and engineering systems, and integrated sensing and communications technologies designed to support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, security, and operational missions in complex environments. Ondas’ solutions are deployed globally by government, defense, and commercial customers to protect infrastructure, borders, transportation networks, personnel, and strategic assets.
Raytheon, an RTX business (NYSE: RTX), is a leading provider of defense solutions to help the U.S. government, allies and partners defend their national sovereignty and ensure their security. For more than 100 years, Raytheon has developed new technologies and enhanced existing capabilities in integrated air and missile defense, smart weapons, missiles, advanced sensors and radars, interceptors, space-based systems, hypersonics and missile defense across land, air, sea and space. With more than 180,000 global employees, the company, with 2025 sales of more than $88 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
Global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or Drone Market Projected to Reach $83.51 Billion by 2030, Growing at a CAGR of 14.3% from 2026-2031.
Present Need to Replenish Inventories of Defense Systems Used in Ongoing Military Operations Which Include Increasing Number of UAV (Drone) Systems.
Continued Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Autonomous Navigation and Advanced Sensor Systems Empowers Drone Devices to Greater Versatility.
Drone Services Increasingly Delivering Intelligence, Border Security, Protection, Logistics, Communications, Electronic Warfare and Rapid Damage Assessment.
Military Operations Around the World are Seeking Drones-as-a-Service (DaaS) for Efficiency and More Cost-Effective Measures.
Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East Have Established Drone Options as a Vital Factor in Modern Warfare Planning.
About ZenaTech
ZenaTech, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZENA) $ZENA is a technology company that specializes in AI autonomy drone platforms and services to transform commercial, government, and defense sectors. Its subsidiaries include drone manufacturing through ZenaDrone, a global Drone as a Service (DaaS) business, and an enterprise SaaS division. ZenaTech is executing an acquisition-led DaaS strategy to digitize and automate legacy service industries like land surveys and inspections, driving drone-based scalable, recurring revenue growth. With an operating footprint spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, ZenaTech is advancing AI drones for applications such as agriculture and logistics, as well as ISR, cargo, and counter-UAS for U.S. defense and NATO allies. The company is investing in next-generation technologies, including drone swarms, quantum computing, and advanced AI autonomy to capture long-term opportunities in key markets through its R&D initiatives.
About ZenaDrone
ZenaDrone, a subsidiary of ZenaTech, designs and manufactures vertically integrated AI-powered autonomous drone solutions which include machine learning, predictive analytics, and advanced computing technologies, for government, defense, and industrial applications. This includes multifunctional drones for surveying, inspections, logistics, security, and defense applications. Its product portfolio at various stages of development includes the ZenaDrone 1000 for ISR defense and specialized cargo, the IQ Nano for indoor inventory management and security, the IQ Square for outdoor inspections and maintenance, the IQ Quad for land surveying, the IQ Aqua, for underwater applications, and the IQ Octo for precision agriculture. ZenaDrone operates three global manufacturing and assembly facilities in Arizona, Dubai, and Taiwan, and is advancing counter-UAS maritime interceptor drones and an integrated defense system.
Mission
The ZenaTech vision is to bring extraordinary value through integrating patented drones and software expertise to improve and automate business processes across industry. zenatech.com
ZenaTech is a technology company focused on AI drones (via ZenaDrone), Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS, and quantum computing solutions for business, government, and defense applications, particularly in areas like agriculture, defense, logistics, inspections, and surveying.
ZenaTech, Inc. was incorporated by Articles of Incorporation in the State of Illinois, USA, on August 31, 2017 under the original name ZenaPay, Inc.
For more information on ZENA visit: www.zenatech.com
Email: [email protected]
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Media ContactCompany Name: ZenaTech, Inc.Contact Person: Michael Mason, CORE IREmail: Send EmailPhone: 312-241-1415Address:777 Hornby Street, Suite 600 City: VancouverState: British Columbia V6Z 1S4Country: CanadaWebsite: www.zenatech.com
