Drone-as-a-Service Set to Nearly Triple to $31 Billion by 2030: Four Stocks to Watch (ZENA, UAVS, RCAT, LIDR)

The Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) market is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by advancements in technology and increasing demand across various sectors. In the United States, the commercial drone services market is projected to expand from $12.55 billion in 2025 to $31.13 billion by 2030, reflecting a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 19.92%. This surge is propelled by regulatory advancements, such as the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) initiatives to streamline operations and integrate drones into the national airspace system.

A significant driver of this growth is the increasing adoption of drones in government and defense applications. Drones are now integral in surveillance, infrastructure inspection, logistics, and reconnaissance missions, offering cost-effective and efficient solutions. The U.S. Department of Defense has recognized the strategic importance of unmanned aerial systems, leading to substantial investments and partnerships with private companies.

This dynamic landscape presents a unique opportunity for investors to engage with companies at the forefront of the DaaS sector. With favorable policies, technological advancements, and a growing market, the DaaS industry is poised for continued expansion and innovation. Let's take a look at a few promising stocks.

ZenaTech Inc. (Nasdaq: ZENA) stands out as a compelling leader in the emerging Drone as a Service (DaaS) sector, especially with its clear focus on government and defense applications. Since its founding in 2017, ZenaTech has combined AI drone technology with enterprise SaaS and quantum computing to address mission-critical tasks such as inspection, monitoring, surveying, safety, and compliance. Its wholly owned subsidiary, ZenaDrone, designs and manufactures multifunctional autonomous drones tailored for a broad range of industries, including agriculture, logistics, commercial land surveying, and, notably, defense.

The company's DaaS model is designed to eliminate barriers for business and government customers who want to use advanced drone technology without incurring upfront costs for hardware, pilot training, or regulatory compliance. This subscription-like service offers scalability that allows clients to adjust usage based on operational needs, streamlining legacy processes that have traditionally relied on manual labor or expensive equipment.

Recent announcements highlight ZenaTech's aggressive expansion through strategic acquisitions targeting land survey and civil engineering firms with strong federal government client bases. These acquisitions in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida are fueling the company's growth in the US Southeast, a key region for infrastructure and defense projects. The target companies bring expertise in land surveys critical to highway, bridge, and development projects and hold active contracts with federal and state agencies. According to CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D., "This acquisition reinforces our DaaS business model expansion objectives to provide drone innovation supporting US federal government, defense, and infrastructure surveying."

ZenaTech also benefits from a supportive regulatory environment. The June 2025 White House executive order accelerating FAA approvals and prioritizing American-made, National Defense Authorization Act-compliant drones creates a favorable market backdrop for the company's US manufacturing and go-to-market plans. The ZenaDrone 1000, a rugged military-grade drone with AI, thermal imaging, LiDAR, and multi-spectral sensors, exemplifies the company's ability to deliver scalable, mission-ready solutions that meet stringent federal standards.

Financially, ZenaTech demonstrated strong momentum in the first quarter of 2025, with revenues nearly doubling year over year to $1.13 million, driven by both organic growth and acquisition activity. The company plans over 20 acquisitions within the next 12 months to build a national DaaS footprint. Investments in engineering, testing facilities, and government relations partnerships underscore its commitment to expanding defense and federal sales channels.

Overall, ZenaTech's blend of cutting-edge drone technology, scalable DaaS offerings, strategic acquisitions in government-aligned land surveying, and alignment with favorable federal policies position it well to capitalize on rapid growth in the drone survey market, which is expanding globally at over 19 percent annually.

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS) is building one of the most relevant drone technology stacks for federal and international deployment, with active exposure to agriculture, infrastructure, public safety, and defense-aligned projects. As a full-stack UAS provider with its own sensors, drones, and software, AgEagle fits squarely into the thesis of Drone-as-a-Service expansion powered by land survey and data solutions.

The company's recent inclusion in a high-level White House discussion on FAA Part 108 regulations shows it is already shaping the next wave of federal drone policy. CEO Bill Irby emphasized that "streamlined regulation will allow broader deployment of autonomous data solutions and open the door for increased economic activity." Finalization of these BVLOS rules would allow AgEagle's drones to operate beyond line of sight, a crucial capability for large-scale survey missions in both civil and defense settings.

AgEagle is also scaling its global presence. The company just announced its 100th drone sale to South Korea and entered a manufacturing alliance in India with Vyom Drones to serve one of the world's largest agricultural markets. This complements a recent collaboration with Ascent AeroSystems, integrating AgEagle's RedEdge-P multispectral camera with rugged all-weather UAV platforms for mission-critical agricultural and infrastructure applications.

Financially, the company has sharply reduced operating expenses, grown margins to 58.5 percent, and posted $7.06 million in net income for Q1 2025, a 211 percent improvement year over year. Drone sales nearly doubled compared to the same quarter last year.

With improved financial footing, regulatory momentum, and strategic global partnerships, AgEagle stands out as a serious operator in the growing UAS sector. For investors tracking government-aligned DaaS models, AgEagle offers a well-positioned, diversified platform ready to scale into regulated airspace and global survey markets.

Red Cat Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: RCAT) is one of the most defense-aligned drone companies in the public market, with clear exposure to U.S. military procurement, federal policy support, and domestic manufacturing expansion. The company's flagship product, the Black Widow, is a small unmanned aerial system already awarded a Program of Record designation under the U.S. Army's Short Range Reconnaissance initiative. This status makes Black Widow one of the few sUAS platforms formally accepted for field use by the Army.

Through its subsidiaries Teal Drones and FlightWave Aerospace, Red Cat offers a Family of Systems that spans multiple mission types, including fixed-wing VTOL drones, military-grade tricopters, and precision strike FPV drones. In May, Red Cat partnered with ESAero to increase certified aerospace manufacturing capacity to meet rising demand for Black Widow units, with production capacity expected to reach one thousand units per month.

Red Cat is not just a hardware player. It is also integrating advanced AI and computer vision capabilities from partners including Palantir and Athena AI, enhancing the performance of its drones in GPS-contested environments. Palantir's Visual Navigation software is being added to Red Cat's autonomous systems, and the company is also using Palantir's Warp Speed platform to streamline production and improve efficiency.

Regulatory alignment is also playing in Red Cat's favor. The company publicly supported recent White House executive orders prioritizing U.S.-manufactured drones and accelerating their use across government and commercial sectors. Brendan Stewart, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, called the orders a signal that the U.S. is "serious about enabling a secure domestic drone industry."

With new facilities, added global reach, strong federal alignment, and fresh capital from a recent forty-six million dollar equity raise, Red Cat is executing a clear strategy to dominate the defense-focused DaaS market with scalable, American-made drone platforms.

AEye Inc. (Nasdaq: LIDR) is developing software-defined lidar technology that could become foundational to government and defense-focused Drone-as-a-Service models. Lidar, or light detection and ranging, is a laser-based sensing method that creates real-time 3D maps of physical environments. It is essential in sectors like autonomous navigation, battlefield terrain mapping, infrastructure inspection, and weather-resilient data collection-use cases where drones increasingly replace manned systems and GPS struggles.

AEye's flagship sensor, Apollo, can detect vehicles and objects at over one kilometer with industry-leading precision. It is the only high-performance 1550 nm lidar designed to integrate behind the windshield, giving it flexibility in both automotive and unmanned deployments. Apollo is now in volume production through Tier 1 manufacturer LITEON, marking a major step toward scaling.

The company recently joined a GM-sponsored research initiative at the University of Toronto focused on autonomous driving in poor weather, which underscores how AEye's technology addresses a known gap in lidar systems. In China, Apollo just won the Intelligent Perception Industry Leadership Award, adding global validation. AEye is also now integrated with Nvidia's Drive platform, which opens the door to commercial OEM deals.

Financially, AEye has cut operating costs by 75 percent, raised $24 million over the past year, and extended its cash runway into mid-2026. Scaling will depend on customer contracts, but manufacturing is in place and inventory is ready. For investors looking at DaaS companies acquiring sensing and surveying tools with federal relevance, AEye offers a small-cap, pure-play exposure to precision lidar with growing validation and a capital-light path to production.

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