ZenaTech plans Ukraine facility to test counter-drone systems
ZenaTech plans to establish a drone testing and operational validation facility in Ukraine for its counter-UAS products. The move expands earlier plans to build manufacturing capacity in the country and places development work in one of the world’s most demanding drone combat environments.
The Vancouver-based company said the site will be used to validate the Interceptor P-1 and other drone defense systems under real operational pressure. It said Ukraine offers conditions that are difficult to reproduce in laboratories or controlled airspace, with frequent engagements, fast-changing threats and rapid cycles of battlefield adaptation.
At the center of the effort is the Interceptor P-1, a one-way expendable interceptor drone that ZenaTech aims to price below $5,000. The company is positioning the system as a lower-cost alternative to missile-based interception for defeating hostile drones. It said data gathered in Ukraine is expected to support product refinement and generate validated performance evidence for defense buyers.
ZenaTech said western Ukraine is the intended location for both the planned test facility and its previously announced manufacturing hub. The region was selected for its relative security, access to NATO logistics corridors and a growing defense-technology base. The company said it is coordinating test authorization through the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the State Aviation Authority of Ukraine after the country streamlined drone testing approvals under martial law.
The company is also working with legal and compliance specialists to structure its operations in Ukraine and is hiring staff. It said the testing program is designed to strengthen engagement with defense procurement agencies worldwide, with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar listed as priority markets. If executed as planned, the Ukraine site could help ZenaTech accelerate product validation and improve its position in the fast-growing market for low-cost counter-drone systems.