The U.S. Drone Boom: How Policy and Market Growth Could Create Winners (ZENA, AVAV, DPRO, RCAT)

The commercial and defense drone market is entering a period of rapid growth. The global industry is projected to surpass $29 billion by 2026, with a ~15% CAGR, driven by applications in logistics, infrastructure inspection, public safety, and defense. Militaries are expanding unmanned systems for surveillance, logistics, and force protection, while commercial operators increasingly adopt drones through recurring service contracts for inspection, mapping, security, and monitoring.

Regulatory shifts are now a major driver of demand. In the U.S., agencies are restricting the use of foreign-made drones and directing buyers toward NDAA-compliant, domestic platforms, narrowing the competitive field and favoring suppliers with compliant hardware and operational scale.

These trends are creating clear winners in both defense and commercial markets. Some companies are already positioned to capitalize on these tailwinds. Let's take a closer look at a few U.S. and North American drone companies poised to capture this growth.

ZenaTech (NASDAQ: ZENA)

ZENA is quietly assembling one of the most ambitious platforms in the public drone universe, blending Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS), vertically integrated drone manufacturing, and AI-driven analytics into a recurring-revenue growth story that now intersects directly with U.S. defense policy.

Recently, ZenaTech announced that its wholly owned drone manufacturing subsidiary, ZenaDrone, is strategically aligned with new U.S. government actions restricting authorization of foreign-made drone equipment. A recent FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau update to the Covered List further limits new approvals of foreign-manufactured UAS platforms, including dominant overseas suppliers. While existing drones already in use are not immediately affected, the policy direction is clear: U.S. defense, federal agencies, and public-sector users are being pushed toward trusted, NDAA-compliant, domestically aligned drone suppliers.

That shift positions ZenaDrone as a potential beneficiary. The company is actively pursuing Blue UAS certification, operates U.S.-based manufacturing and assembly facilities in Arizona, and maintains an NDAA-aligned component supply chain through Taiwan. Its drone portfolio is already being tested in real-world defense environments. The ZenaDrone 1000, a rugged VTOL platform capable of lifting roughly 40 kilograms, has completed paid trials with the U.S. Air Force and Navy Reserve, including missions involving critical cargo delivery such as temperature-controlled medical supplies. Additional platforms like the IQ Nano (indoor, GPS-denied inventory and security drone) and IQ Square (survey, infrastructure inspection, and reconnaissance drone) broaden the company's relevance across ISR, logistics, and infrastructure protection use cases.

Importantly, ZenaTech is not relying on hardware sales alone. Its parallel DaaS strategy is rapidly scaling through an aggressive acquisition program. Since late 2025, the company has closed or signed offers for surveying, inspection, and spatial-services firms across the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia, expanding into solar infrastructure, aviation, telecom towers, natural resources, precision agriculture, wildfire management, and power washing. Management has now completed 19 acquisitions, with a stated goal of reaching 25 DaaS locations by the end of Q2 2026. Each acquisition brings existing customers, local licenses, and near-term revenue that can be upgraded with drone automation.

The result is a hybrid model: a growing base of recurring service revenue from DaaS, paired with optional upside from defense and government drone adoption as regulatory barriers reshape the competitive landscape. With U.S. policy increasingly favoring secure, compliant drone supply chains, ZENA is positioning itself at the intersection of commercial drone services and national security demand-an inflection point that investors may still be underestimating.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV)

AeroVironment has evolved from a niche tactical UAS supplier into a core defense technology platform spanning unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS, autonomy, and integrated mission solutions. The company benefits from accelerating global demand for drones and autonomous defense systems backed by long-duration government contracts.

In December 2025, AVAV secured a 5-year, $874.26 million IDIQ contract from the U.S. Army supporting foreign military sales of Group 1-3 UAS and counter-UAS platforms, including Puma, Raven, JUMP 20, and Titan systems. Additional Army contracts for P550 UAS systems and the Freedom Eagle counter-UAS missile have reinforced demand across both reconnaissance and kinetic defense. These wins drove rapid backlog expansion, with funded backlog nearly doubling year-over-year and bookings exceeding $1.2 billion.

For investors, AVAV represents a scaled, contract-backed way to gain exposure to the fast-growing drone and autonomy market within global defense modernization.

Draganfly, Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO)

Draganfly is a veteran drone manufacturer with over 25 years of experience delivering unmanned aerial systems and AI-enabled platforms across public safety, commercial, and defense markets. As global demand shifts toward agile, low-cost tactical drones, Draganfly is gaining traction as a compliant North American supplier.

In 2025, the company was selected to provide Flex FPV drone systems to a major U.S. military prime contractor, marking early defense adoption. Additional U.S. Army engagements, including embedded manufacturing, training, and secure logistics support, have strengthened Draganfly's credibility for follow-on government and allied contracts. The company has also expanded its U.S. distribution footprint via NDAA-compliant reseller partnerships and secured international defense orders for its Commander 3XL platform.

For investors, DPRO offers leveraged exposure to early-stage defense adoption within the fast-expanding tactical drone market.

Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT)

Red Cat is emerging as a leading U.S.-based developer of tactical unmanned systems, combining NDAA-compliant drone platforms, advanced autonomy, and accelerating defense contract execution. Its core portfolio includes the Black Widow ISR platform, TRICHON fixed-wing VTOL system, and FANG FPV tactical drone, all aligned with U.S. Army requirements for mission-ready unmanned systems.

In 2025, Red Cat delivered up to 690 Black Widow systems under the Army's Short Range Reconnaissance Program of Record, validating both operational performance and production scalability. The company further strengthened defense readiness with AS9100 aerospace quality certification. To support demand, Red Cat raised $46.75 million to expand manufacturing capacity and advance autonomy initiatives, including visual navigation integration and multi-drone swarm capabilities. The company is also extending into multi-domain robotics, aligning with Department of Defense modernization priorities.

For investors, RCAT provides direct exposure to U.S.-based defense drone industrialization.

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