ZenaTech, Inc.a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone solutions driven by Quantum Computing, Drones as a Service, and enterprise SaaS, announces that it has signed a lease to open a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone testing facility in Turkey. The facility will serve as a product testing site for its subsidiary ZenaDrone’s ZenaDrone 1000 model drones designed for the US Defense Branches and NATO. The testing facility will be fully set up and operational during the first quarter of 2025.
“Having a testing facility in Turkey will accelerate the development of our US Defense and NATO models of the ZenaDrone 1000. Importantly it will help to advance our AI drone swarm solutions and the Drone Command Center hub at the heart of missions. Turkey is a favorable European location for experimental drone testing and known for its defense industry innovation and we are grateful to be collaborating there,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.
The company will test defense drone applications including ISRT (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting), logistics and transportation, and other applications over wide distances beyond an operator’s line of sight. The company will also design and test its Drone Command Center, a mobile room that manages the computers, controls, and communications for multiple drones flying at one time, which it intends to file a patent for in the first quarter of 2025. The site is expected to help provide additional testing and readiness for future US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) licensing applications.
A drone command center is a centralized facility or mobile room used to monitor, control, and manage the operations of multiple drones or AI drone swarms in real-time. It acts as the operational hub where drone missions are planned, executed, and monitored, ensuring that drones are collecting data and performing their tasks safely, efficiently, and within regulatory guidelines.
A drone swarm is a group of autonomous drones that work together, coordinated by algorithms, to perform tasks with dramatically improved speed, efficiency, and coverage. ZenaTech previously announced the Sky Traffic project where ZenaDrone teams will be working on applications for drone swarms, also utilizing Quantum Computing, which will include border control and perimeter security military applications.
ZenaDrone previously completed paid trials with both the US Air Force and US Naval Research using its drones for carrying critical cargo — such as blood — in the field. ZenaDrone plans to manufacture and assemble its US Department of Defense (DoD) drones in Phoenix, Arizona.
The ZenaDrone 1000 is an autonomous drone, in a quadcopter design with eight rotors, and is considered a medium-sized drone, roughly the size of a boardroom table. It is designed for stable flight, maneuverability, heavy lift capabilities, incorporating innovative software technology, AI, sensors, and purpose-built attachments, along with compact and rugged hardware engineered for industrial and defense use.
