ZenaTech, Inc (NASDAQ:ZENA) on Tuesday announced its ZenaDrone subsidiary has developed the IQ Aqua prototype. It is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) prototype intended for multiple underwater use cases across defense and commercial markets, including, importantly, undersea mine detection in a military context.

Expanding Into Underwater Robotics

The IQ Aqua marks the company's entry into underwater robotics, extending Zena Drone's IQ autonomous product family, which currently spans air, land, and water surface drone operations, to underwater operations.

The IQ Aqua prototype has demonstrated baseline autonomous navigation and underwater mobility in controlled environments. 

The company is now manufacturing several additional prototypes to conduct outdoor underwater field testing in the U.S. and other international locations, with testing commencing over the coming months.

Addressing Maritime Defense Needs

ZenaTech CEO Shaun Passley said ZenaDrone IQ Aqua targets a critical gap in maritime defense by enabling autonomous mine detection, addressing a threat that is inexpensive to deploy but costly to counter with traditional manned methods.

He added that the company is developing the technology to help defense forces detect and respond to underwater mines without risking divers or crewed vessels.

Passley also noted that, when combined with the IQ Glider launch station and interceptor drones, IQ Aqua will form an integrated above- and below-surface maritime defense system, while also meeting growing commercial demand for autonomous underwater inspection and surveillance in offshore energy and port security sectors.

Future Applications And Market Focus

ZenaTech is designing the IQ Aqua for defense use cases, including mine detection and countermeasure support, covert underwater intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and port and harbor threat detection.

The current prototype operates with a tethered, battery-powered configuration.  The company is currently developing the next generation, intended to be tether-free and GPS-independent, enabling fully autonomous operation in contested, GPS-denied underwater environments.

For commercial use, the ZenaDrone IQ Aqua's design is suited for autonomous inspection of offshore energy pipelines, subsea cables, and maritime infrastructure, reducing reliance on costly diver deployments and manned vessel operations.

Gulf Cooperation Council nations — including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar — represent a priority future commercial market given their extensive offshore hydrocarbon assets, major port facilities, and coastline protection requirements.

ZenaTech is targeting future U.S. defense customers, NATO partners, and Gulf Cooperation Council nations as the IQ Aqua program advances. The company will provide updates on future development milestones as they are achieved.

ZENA Price Action: ZenaTech shares were up 0.49% at $2.04 during premarket trading on Tuesday. The stock is near its 52-week low of $1.82, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Photo via ZenaTech