General discussion, page-9792

The other really interesting use I read about zapps was the underwater drone applications (or any underwater electrical application). Niobium's unique properties have already been applied by Defence companies for unmanned underwater drones. The following quote from the NG website (www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/sea/mission-unlimited-inventing-autonomous-recharging-of-unmanned-underwater-vehicles) explains it pretty well:

"When niobium contacts water, it instantly forms a very thin, passive film that serves as an insulator," he said. "The film prevents current from leaking from the contact into the water. When the connector's two halves are mated, the insulating film is scraped off, allowing current to flow unimpeded through the connector. When the connector is disconnected, the insulating film instantly reforms on its contacts, which prevents any life-shortening corrosion of the contacts."

Similar to the importance of air drones in modern Defence forces, it's clear that the various superpowers are investing heavily in large fleets of these vehicles, all of which will also require niobium.