$ZENA ZenaTech Files Five Patents for ZenaDrone’s Acoustic Drone Solution for Wildfire Suppression, Positioning for Government, Emergency Management and Commercial Opportunities in Aerial Firefighting Expected to Grow to a $2.8 Billion Market by 2033
ZenaTech Inc.
Tue, August 4, 2026 at 8:15 AM EDT 8 min read
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 04, 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 five United States provisional patents have been filed covering a portfolio of acoustic fire suppression and aerial wildfire assessment technologies, intended for integration with its ZenaDrone subsidiary's drone platform. These soundwave-based fire management solutions, when mounted onto the ZenaDrone 1000 drone platform, are designed to support rapid initial attack and enhance emergency response capabilities as an additional tool alongside traditional ground firefighting.
"Wildfires are one of the most urgent and costly natural threats facing communities today and we believe autonomous aerial drone technology has an important role to play in how they're detected, contained, and extinguished," said Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO of ZenaTech. "Our R&D engineering teams are developing proprietary acoustic-based suppression and assessment technologies for the ZenaDrone 1000, an approach we believe can complement, and over time, help reduce reliance on traditional water- and chemical-based methods, while keeping firefighters farther from the most dangerous conditions. We believe a coordinated swarm approach could also extend acoustic suppression's effective range and coverage well beyond what a single drone can achieve today, potentially advancing the technology from short-range, lab-scale results toward broader, real-world perimeter defense."
Acoustic fire suppression is a new technology that uses low-frequency sound --rather than water, foam, or chemicals -- to disrupt a flame at its source. Because nothing is sprayed or discharged, it works where conventional suppression can't, such as for electrical substations, data centers, archives, battery storage, and home ember defense, with room to expand into areas like aviation, marine, and industrial fire safety. As wildfires continue to intensify and utilities as well as insurers seek cleaner alternatives, acoustic fire suppression could potentially fill a gap. ZenaTech management believes the science is proven and the opportunity now is engineering it to work at real-world range and scale. Further, the company believes whoever solves that first could potentially gain a first-mover position in a largely untapped category.
Looking ahead, a coordinated drone swarm could potentially extend this technology well beyond single-site protection, defending firebreaks and neighborhoods, catching embers before they spark new fires, protecting critical infrastructure, operating at night and in heavy smoke, and reinforcing fire lines as they weaken. Rather than replacing current methods, it's designed to work alongside them, buying time and protecting what matters most where traditional tools fall short.
Wildfires are a chronic, escalating economic burden. Climate-exacerbated wildfires cost the U.S. between $394 billion and $893 billion annually, as much as 4% of GDP, according to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. The January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires alone caused an estimated $250–$275 billion in economic damage, per the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. This widening gap between wildfire risk and available response tools is exactly what autonomous, drone-based detection and suppression technology is positioned to help close — and the market reflects it: Grand View Research projects the global firefighting drone market to grow from $1.2 billion in 2024 to nearly $2.8 billion by 2033, a 9.8% CAGR.
The ZenaDrone 1000 is a 7'x 12' multifunction autonomous AI drone capable of carrying up to 40 kg of payload such as acoustics technology, with the ability to operate in coordinated drone swarms. It can be equipped with thermal imaging and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors, as well as engineered to integrate detection, targeting, and suppression into a single autonomous system capable of supporting rapid initial attack in wildfire-prone regions, including areas near critical infrastructure, energy facilities, and government lands.
ZenaTech expects to continue advancing the research, engineering, and field testing of its wildfire suppression technology throughout 2026 as it works toward future commercial and government pilots. Further updates will be provided as additional milestones are reached. Fire management organizations that wish to partner with the ZenaDrone for trials are invited to reach out through investors@zenatech.com.
ZenaTech Inc.
Tue, August 4, 2026 at 8:15 AM EDT 8 min read
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 04, 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 five United States provisional patents have been filed covering a portfolio of acoustic fire suppression and aerial wildfire assessment technologies, intended for integration with its ZenaDrone subsidiary's drone platform. These soundwave-based fire management solutions, when mounted onto the ZenaDrone 1000 drone platform, are designed to support rapid initial attack and enhance emergency response capabilities as an additional tool alongside traditional ground firefighting. "Wildfires are one of the most urgent and costly natural threats facing communities today and we believe autonomous aerial drone technology has an important role to play in how they're detected, contained, and extinguished," said Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO of ZenaTech. "Our R&D engineering teams are developing proprietary acoustic-based suppression and assessment technologies for the ZenaDrone 1000, an approach we believe can complement, and over time, help reduce reliance on traditional water- and chemical-based methods, while keeping firefighters farther from the most dangerous conditions. We believe a coordinated swarm approach could also extend acoustic suppression's effective range and coverage well beyond what a single drone can achieve today, potentially advancing the technology from short-range, lab-scale results toward broader, real-world perimeter defense."
Acoustic fire suppression is a new technology that uses low-frequency sound --rather than water, foam, or chemicals -- to disrupt a flame at its source. Because nothing is sprayed or discharged, it works where conventional suppression can't, such as for electrical substations, data centers, archives, battery storage, and home ember defense, with room to expand into areas like aviation, marine, and industrial fire safety. As wildfires continue to intensify and utilities as well as insurers seek cleaner alternatives, acoustic fire suppression could potentially fill a gap. ZenaTech management believes the science is proven and the opportunity now is engineering it to work at real-world range and scale. Further, the company believes whoever solves that first could potentially gain a first-mover position in a largely untapped category.
Looking ahead, a coordinated drone swarm could potentially extend this technology well beyond single-site protection, defending firebreaks and neighborhoods, catching embers before they spark new fires, protecting critical infrastructure, operating at night and in heavy smoke, and reinforcing fire lines as they weaken. Rather than replacing current methods, it's designed to work alongside them, buying time and protecting what matters most where traditional tools fall short.
Wildfires are a chronic, escalating economic burden. Climate-exacerbated wildfires cost the U.S. between $394 billion and $893 billion annually, as much as 4% of GDP, according to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. The January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires alone caused an estimated $250–$275 billion in economic damage, per the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. This widening gap between wildfire risk and available response tools is exactly what autonomous, drone-based detection and suppression technology is positioned to help close — and the market reflects it: Grand View Research projects the global firefighting drone market to grow from $1.2 billion in 2024 to nearly $2.8 billion by 2033, a 9.8% CAGR.
The ZenaDrone 1000 is a 7'x 12' multifunction autonomous AI drone capable of carrying up to 40 kg of payload such as acoustics technology, with the ability to operate in coordinated drone swarms. It can be equipped with thermal imaging and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors, as well as engineered to integrate detection, targeting, and suppression into a single autonomous system capable of supporting rapid initial attack in wildfire-prone regions, including areas near critical infrastructure, energy facilities, and government lands.
ZenaTech expects to continue advancing the research, engineering, and field testing of its wildfire suppression technology throughout 2026 as it works toward future commercial and government pilots. Further updates will be provided as additional milestones are reached. Fire management organizations that wish to partner with the ZenaDrone for trials are invited to reach out through investors@zenatech.com.
