ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA) has announced plans to establish a dedicated drone testing and operational validation facility in Ukraine, adding to previously disclosed manufacturing plans in the country.
The Vancouver-based company intends to use the facility to validate its Interceptor P-1 counter-UAS platform and other drone defense systems in what it describes as the world’s most operationally demanding drone warfare environment.
The Interceptor P-1 is a one-way expendable interceptor drone that ZenaTech is targeting to sell for under $5,000, engineered to defeat hostile drones at a fraction of the cost of conventional missile-based interception. The company says Ukraine’s operational environment — characterized by high-tempo engagement cycles, evolving threat sets, and rapid iterative development — provides a validation context that cannot be replicated in a laboratory or controlled airspace.
Western Ukraine is the intended location for both the testing facility and the previously announced manufacturing hub, with the region cited for its relative security, proximity to NATO logistics corridors, and an expanding defense-technology cluster. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has streamlined drone testing authorizations under martial law, creating simplified pathways for defense-affiliated operators. ZenaTech says it is coordinating testing authorization through the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the State Aviation Authority of Ukraine.
The company is simultaneously working with legal and compliance experts to structure its Ukraine operations and is in the process of hiring staff. ZenaTech says its planned testing program is designed to generate validated performance data and field-proven product refinement to support commercial engagement with defense procurement authorities globally, with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar identified as priority markets.
ZenaTech’s drone subsidiary, ZenaDrone, develops and manufactures autonomous platforms incorporating machine learning, AI, and quantum computing capabilities. The company states it is committed to compliance with all applicable export and trade controls.
