U.S. Drone as a Service (Daas) Market Is Poised for Strong Growth In 2026 as Technology Vastly Improves

Drones as a Service Companies are Targeting Future-Ready Drone Operations for Commercial, Agricultural, Military and Defense Services

Market News Updates News Commentary

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2026 /CNW/ -- Both the U.S. and global Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) markets are poised for substantial growth in the coming year and beyond.  The U.S. Drone as a Service (DaaS) market is poised for strong growth in 2026, driven by AI, automation, and demand from agriculture, construction, and logistics, with projections placing the market around $8.2 billion in 2026, up from $6.3 billion in 2024, according to some reports. Key trends include increasing adoption for cost savings, greater integration of BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations, and expansion in inspection, surveying, and delivery services, with North America leading global market share.  A report from ResearchAndMarkets said: "The global drone services market reached a value of nearly $18.58 billion in 2024, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.38% since 2019. The market is expected to grow from $18.58 billion in 2024 to $64.96 billion in 2029 at a rate of 28.43%. The market is then expected to grow at a CAGR of 28.21% from 2029 and reach $225.09 billion in 2034."  Active Companies looking to take advantage of these recently developments include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Safe Pro Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAI), ParaZero Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: PRZO), Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS), AIRO Group Holdings (NASDAQ: AIRO).

ResearchAndMarkets continued: "Growth in the historic period resulted from rising oil and well exploration activities, significant rise in smart city initiatives, rise in drone-laser shows and rising demand for unmanned delivery services. Factors that negatively affected growth in the historic period were the airspace regulation and flight restrictions and certification and licensing requirements.  Going forward, increasing focus on precision agriculture, growing uses for cross-border security and surveillance, government support and policies favoring drone deployment and high demand from entertainment industry will drive growth. Factor that could hinder the growth of the drone services market in the future include payload capacity limitations, vulnerabilities to cyberattacks and hacking and impact of trade war and tariff. 

North America was the largest region in the drone services market, accounting for 39.65% or $7.37 billion of the total in 2024. It was followed by Western Europe, Asia Pacific and then the other regions. Going forward, the fastest-growing regions in the drone services market will be Asia Pacific and South America where growth will be at CAGRs of 32.64% and 30.70% respectively. These will be followed by Middle East and Western Europe where the markets are expected to grow at CAGRs of 30.47% and 27.84% respectively.  The top opportunities in the drone services market segmented by service type will arise in the drone platform service segment, which will gain $26.27 billion of global annual sales by 2029. The top opportunities in the drone services market segmented by solution will arise in the enterprise segment, which will gain $29.44 billion of global annual sales by 2029."

ZenaTech Completes 20th Acquisition in Year One of Drone as a Service, Strengthening California Wildfire Management and Public Works Opportunities - ZenaTech, Inc. ($ZENA) (NASDAQ: ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) ("ZenaTech"), a technology solution provider specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS, and Quantum Computing solutions, today announces it has completed its 20th acquisition.  The most recent acquisition is L.D. King, Inc., a well-established civil engineering and land surveying firm based in the Los Angeles area, further strengthening its footprint for drone solutions in one of the most wildfire-sensitive and natural disaster-prone regions in the US. This acquisition caps a successful first year executing its Drone as a Service expansion strategy to enable drone accessibility at scale for the innovation of legacy, low tech or manual work. Since January 2025, the company has built a US and global business network which includes thousands of existing commercial and government client relationships.

"We have exceeded our first-year objectives for Drone as a Service, underscoring both the pace and discipline with which we are scale our roll up strategy of multiple industries ripe for drone modernizing, representing significant untapped opportunities for Drone as a Service applications. The global drone services market is growing at over 36 % annually and expected to reach $355 billion by 2032 according to Pragma Market Research, creating a substantial long-term opportunity for scalable, recurring revenue," said Shaun Passley, Ph.D., ZenaTech CEO. "Our 20^th acquisition, L.D. King's deep relationships and decades-long operating history provide an ideal platform to deploy our drone-enabled services at scale for existing government and building developer clients.  We continue to expand into natural resources management expanded capabilities for future wildfire management, post-disaster assessments, and regional planning activities."

Founded in 1965, L.D. King, Inc. has served Southern California for more than six decades, with a reputation for quality and long-term client relationships across public works, commercial, and residential projects. The firm's multidisciplinary team of licensed professionals delivers comprehensive services ranging from land surveying and engineering to planning and construction management, addressing the diverse needs of municipal government agencies and private developers.

Building the Foundation for Drone as a Service Growth

• Established ZenaTech as a first-to-market leader pioneering a multi-service, globally scalable Drone as a Service network for government and commercial clients with 20 US and global acquisitions combined with two corporate stores
• Since its inception, Drone as a Service has focused on acquiring established, profitable businesses operating with legacy processes and modernizing them for growth through drone innovation, automation, and data-driven workflows
• Drone as a Service is now positioned to grow margins by integrating embedding AI-autonomous drone capabilities and certifying field technicians as licensed drone pilots, ZenaTech reduces labor intensity and streamlines operation costs
• Over the course of 2025, the company has been acquiring profitable businesses with an immediate revenue base, while expanding services and cross selling opportunities such as data analysis, automating maintenance, and new services like wildfire management, environmental monitoring, power washing, among others. Drone as a Service has now reached 20 acquisitions, ahead of its expected timeline

ZenaTech's Drone as a Service business platform provides business and government clients with on-demand or subscription-based access to faster and superior drone-based services for a host of surveying, inspection, maintenance, power washing, inventory management, and precision agriculture services, without the capital costs or operational burdens of ownership. By acquiring established, profitable service companies currently using low-tech processes and ripe for drone innovation, ZenaTech is building a global, multi-service DaaS network of locations in communities anchored by existing customers and revenue, for next-gen drone integration designed for speed, precision, data, and safety benefits. The company is continuing to build its global business and network of locations as well as its integration of drones and new services.  Continued…  Read this full release and additional news for ZENA by visiting:  https://www.zenatech.com/newsroom/

Other recent developments in the drone/UAS industry include:

Safe Pro Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAI) is positioned to address heightened operational and humanitarian risks tied to land mines and unexploded ordnance as U.S. defense policy enters a new review phase. According to reporting by Joyce Sohyun Lee of the Washington Post, a Dec. 2 Pentagon memo signed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reverses Biden-era restrictions on antipersonnel land mines and directs the U.S. Department of War to recommend a revised policy within 90 days amid what officials describe as one of the most dangerous global security environments in U.S. history.

The Post reports that the interim policy removes geographic limitations on antipersonnel land mine use and allows "remotely delivered" systems, provided they incorporate compliant self-destruction and self-deactivation mechanisms. The memo also states that the revised framework is intended to allow the United States to remain a global leader in unexploded ordnance clearing assistance and conventional weapons destruction, underscoring continued demand for technologies that reduce long-term explosive hazards and civilian risk even as policy parameters shift.

ParaZero Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: PRZO), an aerospace defense company pioneering smart, autonomous solutions for the global manned and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry, recently announced a significant milestone: the successful completion of its first live demonstration of the DefendAir counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) platform on European soil.

This high-profile event, held in partnership with a premier Western European distributor, drew approximately 40 senior military officers from multiple NATO member states. Attendees witnessed firsthand the exceptional performance of DefendAir as it effortlessly neutralized simulated hostile drones in realistic battlefield and critical infrastructure protection scenarios.

Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS), a leading provider of autonomous aerial and ground robot intelligence through its Ondas Autonomous Systems (OAS) business unit and private wireless solutions through Ondas Networks, recently announced the Company's CEO, Eric Brock, will participate in a fireside chat with Defense Tech analyst Austin Bohlig at 8:45 AM ET on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 and host 1x1 meetings with institutional investors throughout the day at the 28th Annual Needham Growth Conference ("NGC").  Investors interested in scheduling a meeting with Ondas may reach out to their Needham representative or email [email protected].

Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS) is a leading provider of autonomous systems and private wireless solutions through its business units Ondas Autonomous Systems (OAS), Ondas Capital and Ondas Networks. Ondas' technologies offer a powerful combination of aerial intelligence and next-generation connectivity to enhance security, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making across essential industries.

AIRO Group Holdings (NASDAQ: AIRO) recently announced the successful completion of the first RQ‑35 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) drones produced to full operational standard in its U.S. manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. This marks the first U.S.-manufactured RQ‑35 systems and a major step forward in the company's Made‑in‑America expansion strategy.

The systems--built to the same specifications as those produced at AIRO's Denmark facility--completed Phase 1 of the U.S. manufacturing and validation program. This phase encompassed system assembly, including integration of all major components and complete system build-up. The aircraft then underwent a comprehensive flight‑test campaign, concluding with successful final flights on December 11.

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