$ZENA News: 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
ZenaTech Inc.
Thu, March 12, 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT 6 min read
In this article: ZENA
ZenaTech Inc.
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.
About ZenaTech
ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) is a technology company specializing in AI drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions for mission-critical applications for business, government and defense. Since 2017, the Company has leveraged its software development expertise and grown its drone design and manufacturing capabilities through ZenaDrone, to innovate and improve customer inspection, monitoring, safety, security, compliance, and surveying processes. With enterprise software customers using branded solutions in law enforcement, government, and industrial sectors, and drones being implemented in these plus agriculture, defense, and logistics sectors, ZenaTech’s portfolio of solutions helps drive speed, accuracy, and cost savings. The Company operates through global offices in North America, Europe, Taiwan, and UAE, and is growing its DaaS business and global network of locations through acquisitions.
About ZenaDrone
ZenaDrone, a wholly owned subsidiary of ZenaTech, develops and manufactures autonomous drone solutions that can incorporate machine learning software, AI, predictive modeling, Quantum Computing, and other software and hardware innovations. Created to revolutionize the hemp farming sector, its specialization has grown to multifunctional drone solutions for surveying, monitoring, inspection, tracking, process automation, and defense applications.
Currently, the ZenaDrone 1000 drone is used for crop management applications and critical field cargo applications in the defense sector, the IQ Nano indoor drone is used for inventory management and security in the warehouse and logistics sectors, the IQ Square is an outdoor drone designed for power washing and inspections use in commercial and government sectors, and the IQ Quad is for land surveys.
Contacts for more information:
Company, Investors, and Media:
Linda Montgomery
ZenaTech
312-241-1415
investors@zenatech.com
Investors:
Michael Mason
CORE IR
investors@zenatech.com
ZenaTech Inc.
Thu, March 12, 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT 6 min read
In this article: ZENA
ZenaTech Inc.
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.
About ZenaTech
ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) is a technology company specializing in AI drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions for mission-critical applications for business, government and defense. Since 2017, the Company has leveraged its software development expertise and grown its drone design and manufacturing capabilities through ZenaDrone, to innovate and improve customer inspection, monitoring, safety, security, compliance, and surveying processes. With enterprise software customers using branded solutions in law enforcement, government, and industrial sectors, and drones being implemented in these plus agriculture, defense, and logistics sectors, ZenaTech’s portfolio of solutions helps drive speed, accuracy, and cost savings. The Company operates through global offices in North America, Europe, Taiwan, and UAE, and is growing its DaaS business and global network of locations through acquisitions.
About ZenaDrone
ZenaDrone, a wholly owned subsidiary of ZenaTech, develops and manufactures autonomous drone solutions that can incorporate machine learning software, AI, predictive modeling, Quantum Computing, and other software and hardware innovations. Created to revolutionize the hemp farming sector, its specialization has grown to multifunctional drone solutions for surveying, monitoring, inspection, tracking, process automation, and defense applications.
Currently, the ZenaDrone 1000 drone is used for crop management applications and critical field cargo applications in the defense sector, the IQ Nano indoor drone is used for inventory management and security in the warehouse and logistics sectors, the IQ Square is an outdoor drone designed for power washing and inspections use in commercial and government sectors, and the IQ Quad is for land surveys.
Contacts for more information:
Company, Investors, and Media:
Linda Montgomery
ZenaTech
312-241-1415
investors@zenatech.com
Investors:
Michael Mason
CORE IR
investors@zenatech.com
