ZenaTech subsidiary expands manufacturing capacity by 15,000 square feet and strengthens research and development for commercial and military drone products
ZenaTech Inc., a provider of enterprise technology solutions specialising in AI-powered drones, drone-as-a-service (DaaS), enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) and quantum computing solutions, announces the expansion of its drone manufacturing operations in Sharjah, UAE, near Dubai, creating space for scaling production, research and development (R&D) and drone-as-a-service operations. This expansion is an integral part of ZenaTech’s strategy to meet anticipated demand in the growing commercial and military application markets. The recently secured space comprises 12,000 square feet (ft²) dedicated to manufacturing and R&D operations, as well as 3,000 ft² to be used for drone-as-a-service operations. This is in addition to the existing 10,000 ft² production facility that the company currently operates in Sharjah.
‘The expansion of our production and R&D space and the strengthening of our team in Sharjah is a strategic milestone that will further enhance our ability to develop and deliver innovative drone solutions at scale,’ said Dr Shaun Passley, CEO of ZenaTech. ‘This expansion not only accelerates production capacity, but also enhances our research and development capabilities to optimise technological performance and timelines, ensuring we remain agile and competitive to capitalise on growing global opportunities in the commercial and defence markets.’
The facility includes 12,000 square feet of research and development space, as well as production areas where the company is currently operating multiple modular production lines for structural manufacturing, electronics integration, calibration, quality control and final flight testing for ZenaDrone 1000 and IQ series drones. The focus of research and development work will be on developing new products and improving ZenaDrone drones. The expansion also includes an adjacent 3,000 ft² facility intended for drone-as-a-service operations for the secure storage of drones, fleet management and maintenance for the company’s drone-as-a-service business in Dubai. The company also plans to increase its local workforce by 15 to 20 skilled employees in manufacturing, engineering and operations in the coming months.
The following products are currently being developed and manufactured at ZenaTech’s facility in Sharjah:
- ZenaDrone 1000 – a multifunctional VTOL platform designed for commercial applications such as precision agriculture and BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) surveillance and inspection. It is also used for defence logistics, border security and infrastructure support. Key defence applications include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), tactical cargo delivery and field operations such as medical transport or supply delivery.
- IQ Square – a medium-sized, endurance drone designed for land surveying and outdoor visual inspection and surveillance. Defence applications include border protection, battlefield reconnaissance and remote asset monitoring.
- IQ Nano – an ultra-compact indoor drone optimised for commercial inventory management. It reads barcodes on packaging and enters them into an ERP database, increasing the security and speed of inventory checks. It can also be used for security, surveillance and tactical reconnaissance in environments without GPS reception, such as military camps, urban infrastructure and secure facilities.
