VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZenaTech, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) ("ZenaTech"), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone solutions driven by Quantum Computing, Drones as a Service, and enterprise SaaS, announces that its subsidiary company ZenaDrone has applied for a Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Part 137, crop sprayer “Agricultural Aircraft Operations Certification” to use its ZenaDrone 1000 drone for spraying
including for agricultural applications such as spraying fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. The dual-use of the sprayer attached can also be used for wildfires as part of the company’s plans to use drone swarms for commercial purposes.“This certification is essential to establish our US precision agriculture operations where we plan to help agricultural producers and operators use drone solutions to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and minimize environmental impact compared to traditional methods. This builds on our prior experience testing hemp farming applications in Ireland enabling us to pilot specific solutions including targeted pest control enabling US growers to improve yields and sustainability. We also see applications for wildfire management which is having such a devastating impact in California currently,” said CEO, Dr. Shaun Passley Ph.D.
ZenaDrone was previously granted an FAA exemption for visual line-of-sight commercial applications and data collection in October last year and has commenced aerial operations and testing at its facilities and testing site in Phoenix, Arizona.
An FAA Part 137 authorization is a certification that allows drone companies to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for agricultural-related commercial activities, such as crop dusting, seeding, or pesticide application. Drone operators must meet criteria such as demonstrating the ability to conduct safe and effective operations, having properly certificated aircraft, and meeting specific knowledge, skills, and operational standards set by the FAA. The application process including FAA operational demonstrations and inspection can take several months.
The US agricultural drone market is growing rapidly, driven by advancements in precision agriculture and the increasing need for efficiency in crop management. The market is valued at USD $2.74 billion in 2024 and is projected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25% and could reach $10.45 billion by 2030 according to Grand View Research. This growth is supported by the increased adoption of drones for field mapping, crop monitoring, spraying, and livestock management applications and is benefiting from government incentives as well as technological advancements in sensors, cameras, and data integration systems.
US government studies have estimated the cost of wildfire devastation in the US could be in the range of $394 billion and $893 billion annually. This figure accounts for direct property damage, firefighting expenses, health impacts from wildfire smoke, income loss, tourism decline, and infrastructure damage. It also includes long-term environmental impacts such as watershed pollution and post-fire land rehabilitation. These estimates represent a growing trend driven by climate change, which has intensified the severity and frequency of wildfires across the country.
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 industrial use.
About ZenaTech
ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) is a technology company specializing in AI drones, Quantum Computing, Drone as a Service (DaaS), and enterprise SaaS solutions for mission-critical business applications. Since 2017, the company 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, health, government, and industrial sectors, and drones being implemented in these plus agriculture, defense, and logistics sectors, ZenaTech’s portfolio of solutions helps drive exceptional operational efficiencies, accuracy and cost savings. The company operates through seven global offices in North America, Europe, Taiwan, and UAE, and is growing a DaaS business model and global partner network.
About ZenaDrone
ZenaDrone, a wholly owned subsidiary of ZenaTech, develops and manufactures autonomous business drone solutions that can incorporate machine learning software, AI, predictive modeling, Quantum Computing, and other software and hardware innovations. Created to revolutionize the hemp farming sector, its specialization has grown to multifunctional drone solutions for industrial surveillance, monitoring, inspection, tracking, process automation and defense applications. Currently, the ZenaDrone 1000 drone is used for crop management applications in agriculture and critical field cargo applications in the defense sector, and the IQ Nano indoor drone is used for inventory management in the warehouse and logistics sectors.
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