Breaking News: (Nasdaq: ZENA) Patents Next-Gen
Maritime Drone Defense System
🚀 ZENA files patent for its autonomous maritime drone system — put it on your radar.
The company just secured patent-pending status for its autonomous, ship-based drone interception system, designed to counter drone swarms at a fraction of the cost of traditional missile defenses.
News Link Here - snapshot below
ZenaTech's ZenaDrone Announces the Filing of a Patent for its Maritime Defense System Combining ZenaDrone 2000 Interceptor Drone and IQ Glider Autonomous Marine Station
Company secures patent-pending status to protect novel architecture for a constant, ship-based autonomous drone interception system designed to counter drone swarm threats at a fraction of the cost of missile-based countermeasures
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZenaTech, Inc. (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, announces that its ZenaDrone subsidiary has filed a provisional patent application for its maritime drone defense system combining the ZenaDrone 2000 maritime interceptor drone and the IQ Glider autonomous marine launch and refueling station. The patent application covers the company's counter-UAS system architecture, designed to enable persistent, ship-based drone interception capable of autonomously detecting, engaging, and intercepting multiple incoming unmanned aerial threats. The provisional patent was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and represents the first step in building a defensible intellectual property portfolio for the company's maritime defense system.
"Protecting our intellectual property is a critical component of our long-term strategy and continued success of the company," said Shaun Passley, PhD, ZenaTech CEO. "This patent filing will help create a broad portfolio of intellectual property around this program and potential future programs. As drone warfare continues to evolve, protecting the core technologies behind our next-generation defense systems is essential. With a deliberate patent filing program, our goal is to secure a defensible position around technologies we believe will be central to autonomous maritime defense. These are built for the new era of asymmetric warfare, where the economies of multimillion-dollar missiles pitted against a swarm of cheap drones are no longer viable."
The patent application covers the ZenaDrone 2000 interceptor drone as well as the integrated system architecture that enables the IQ Glider marine station, which is designed to autonomously launch and refuel multiple ZenaDrone 2000 interceptor drones from a maritime vessel. Achieving patent-pending status is the start of creating a defensible IP moat around the combined ZenaDrone 2000 and IQ Glider system.
Operating ZenaDrone 2000 interceptor drones in a continuous relay launching from the IQ Glider marine station, the system is designed to provide constant aerial interception coverage capable of detecting, tracking, and intercepting multiple incoming drones or drone swarm threats. Key elements of the system are expected to include autonomous docking and refueling sequencing, multi-drone relay operations enabling uninterrupted coverage, and AI-driven navigation and threat engagement capabilities designed to operate in complex or GPS-denied environments.
Both the IQ Glider and the ZenaDrone 2000 interceptor drone are currently in active development. The ZenaDrone 2000 gas-powered prototype is at the design and development stage, with testing expected before the end of the year. The IQ Glider is being developed in parallel as the dedicated launch and refueling infrastructure for ZenaDrone 2000 fleet operations. ZenaTech will provide updates on combined system development milestones, prototype testing timelines, patent updates, and defense customer engagement as they are achieved.
Breakthrough Drone Defense
Puts (Nasdaq: ZENA) on Our Radar!
With an analyst target signaling triple-digit upside potential backed by drone news on its ZenaDrone 2000 Maritime Interceptor Defense System, this under-the-radar Nasdaq setup takes the top spot on our watchlist for Thursday.
ZenaTech Inc. (Nasdaq: ZENA)
The announcement comes amid a surge in asymmetric drone warfare globally, with recent conflicts highlighting a critical and costly vulnerability in current defense postures against Iranian-supplied drone swarms.
"The recent escalation of drone-based attacks across the Gulf region is a wake-up call for defense planners worldwide," said Shaun Passley, ZenaTech, Inc. CEO. "It is economically unsustainable and strategically unwise to keep spending Mn of USD to intercept a $50k Iranian drone.
The ZenaDrone 2000 changes that calculus entirely.
The platform will be designed to intercept multiple drones in a single engagement we fight drone with drone, at a cost that makes sense and at a scale designed to keep pace with the threat."
Recent conflicts across the Middle East and beyond have exposed a glaring imbalance in modern air defense economics. Gulf nations and their allies have been forced to deploy interceptor missiles costing h·undreds of t·housands even Mn of USD to destroy Iranian-manufactured drones v·alued at approximately $50k each. This unsustainable cost asymmetry is being exploited by adversaries who can field swarms of low-cost, slow-moving aerial threats faster than conventional defense systems can economically respond.
The vulnerability is especially acute over maritime environments, including the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and other contested waterways, where sea-based launch platforms for drone countermeasures are limited and response windows are narrow. The global defense community has recognized that the most practical, scalable, and affordable answer to the drone threat is not another expensive missile it is a better, smarter, faster drone.
The ZenaDrone 2000 will be engineered specifically to address this threat. Powered by a high-endurance gas engine for extended range and operational persistence, the ZenaDrone 2000 is designed to launch directly from naval vessels, offshore platforms, or coastline installations positioning it where the threat originates. Once airborne, the system will be designed to autonomously detect, track, and engage multiple slow-moving hostile drones simultaneously using onboard AI-driven threat identification and engagement protocols engineered for effectiveness against coordinated drone swarm attacks.
ZenaDrone 2000 Key Defense Capabilities
Maritime Launch Capability: Designed for sea-based deployment from naval vessels, offshore platforms, and littoral installations, enabling rapid response
Gas-Powered Endurance: High-performance gas propulsion system delivers extended flight range and loiter time, far exceeding battery-limited alternatives
Autonomous Threat Detection: Onboard AI and sensor fusion algorithms identify and classify slow-moving aerial threats in real time
Precision Intercept Engagement: Purpose-built engagement systems enable the intercept of incoming threats efficiently and accurately, minimizing collateral risk
Asymmetric Cost Advantage: Designed to be deployed at a fraction of the cost of missile-based interception systems, delivering decisive operational savings for defense budgets
Swarm-Ready Architecture: Scalable platform designed to support coordinated multi-drone deployment to counter simultaneous multi-vector drone attack scenarios
The global counter-drone market is projected to grow substantially over the coming decade as the proliferation of low-cost unmanned aerial systems accelerates. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations alone have committed significant defense spending to address the drone threat following repeated attacks on infrastructure, naval assets, and civilian targets. ZenaTech management believes the ZenaDrone 2000, with its sea-launch capability and cost-efficient intercept model, is uniquely positioned to serve U.S., NATO, and allied defense procurement programs seeking scalable, affordable countermeasures.
Potential Catalyst: Autonomous Ocean Launch Platform
Another potential catalyst is the IQ Glider, an autonomous ocean-based drone launch and refueling station designed to extend the range and endurance of the ZenaDrone 2000 Maritime Interceptor Defense System, enabling continuous multi-drone intercept operations from naval vessels without shore infrastructure or missile-based countermeasures.
The platform is being purpose-built to detect and simultaneously intercept multiple incoming unmanned aerial threats at a fraction of the cost of conventional countermeasures. The announcement comes amid a surge in asymmetric drone warfare globally, with recent conflicts highlighting a critical and costly vulnerability in current defense postures against Iranian-supplied drone swarms.
News Link Here - snapshot below
ZenaTech Commences Development of IQ Glider, an
Autonomous Marine Drone Launch and Refueling Station
for the ZenaDrone 2000 Intercept Drone
IQ Glider completes the ZenaDrone 2000 Maritime Defense System, enabling continuous multi-drone intercept operations from naval vessels without shore infrastructure or missile-based countermeasures
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZenaTech, Inc. (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, announces it has commenced development of the IQ Glider, an autonomous marine-based drone launch and refueling station. The IQ Glider is designed to extend the operational endurance of the company's ZenaDrone 2000 Maritime Interceptor defense system, which enables continuous multi-drone intercept operations without requiring shore infrastructure or missile-based counter measures. The initiation of the IQ Glider technology follows the company's recent announcement of the development of a prototype for the ZenaDrone 2000, a cost-effective, gas-powered sea-launched drone interceptor designed to detect and intercept multiple incoming unmanned aerial threats.
"The ZenaDrone 2000 changes the economics of maritime drone defense, but economics alone doesn't win engagements, endurance does," said Shaun Passley, ZenaTech CEO. "A drone interceptor required to return to port after a single run isn't a true defense system. Our new developmental, autonomous system, the IQ Glider, is designed to keep these drones operating continuously by enabling launch, recovery, and refueling directly from vessels at sea. Together, the ZenaDrone 2000 and the IQ Glider will create a scalable, cost-effective defense solution that allows naval forces to respond to drone swarm threats with persistent coverage rather than costly missile-based interception."
The strategic and economic case for the combined IQ Glider platform and ZenaDrone 2000 drone system rests on the clear cost imbalance in modern maritime drone warfare. The Company believes that Naval forces that are using interceptor missiles costing up to 1 Mn or more to destroy drones worth about $50k represents an unsustainable model, especially against continuous swarm attacks that strain both budgets and missile capacity. The company's integrated systems are designed to address this problem at scale with a persistent, autonomous, ship-based capability that counters "drones with drones" built at a fraction of missile costs. This air defense system is well positioned for future U.S. Navy, NATO, and Gulf Coordination Council defense programs, and Coast Guard modernization efforts seeking scalable maritime air defense.
Sustained operational presence has historically limited maritime drone defense due to individual drones that can only remain airborne for a finite period before requiring fuel or maintenance. The IQ Glider is designed to solve this challenge, providing a platform for ZenaDrone 2000 drones to launch, land, refuel, and redeploy in coordinated rotations directly from naval vessels. ZenaTech's management believes this relay-style approach enables continuous coverage over ships and surrounding maritime zones during extended missions.
Both the IQ Glider and the ZenaDrone 2000 Maritime Interceptor are currently in active development. The ZenaDrone 2000 prototype is at the design and development stage, with testing expected before the end of the year. The IQ Glider is being developed in parallel as the dedicated launch and refueling infrastructure for ZenaDrone 2000 fleet operations. ZenaTech will provide updates on combined system development milestones, prototype testing timelines, and defense customer engagement as they are achieved.
Analyst Signals Major Upside Potential
Maxim Group initiated coverage on ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA) with a b·uy rating and a $7.00 price target, highlighting 200% upside potential according to the firm's analyst estimate.
6 Key Catalysts That Could Drive
ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA)Shares Vertical
ZenaDrone Patents Next-Gen Maritime Drone Defense System.
ZenaDrone begins development of the IQ Glider, an autonomous marine launch and refueling platform to extend operational range for the ZenaDrone 2000 Intercept Drone.
ZenaDrone develops the ZenaDrone 2000 Maritime Interceptor Defense System, a cost-effective sea- and land-based drone defense system built for modern asymmetric warfare.
ZenaDrone initiates defense-focused Quantum Navigation System, enabling GPS-denied operations for next-generation drones.
ZenaTech advances its proprietary Quantum Computing hardware platform, targeting defense, homeland security, and government applications.
Maxim Group initiates coverage on ZENA with a b·uy rating and $7.00 price target, suggests ~200% upside potential.
Make sure ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA) is on your radar!
Michael Reece
Editor, Financial Driven Research
0 Response to "Breaking: ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA) Patents Next-Gen Maritime Drone Defense System"
Post a Comment