Q-CTRL has been selected for two awards under DARPA’s Robust Quantum Sensors (RoQS) program—with this selection, these contracts are valued at A$38 million ($24.4 million) to augment Q-CTRL’s field-validated quantum sensing technologies for demanding real-world use cases in high-performance military vehicles.
Navigational technology that is resilient to denial, jamming, spoofing, and other denials in the environment has become increasingly critical to defense applications from battlefield operations to intelligence and surveillance. With conflict zones expanding, the risks to crewed and uncrewed defense missions are growing daily. Quantum sensing offers a complementary solution to GPS that is resilient against external interference while filling coverage gaps.
Q-CTRL will develop next-generation quantum sensors for navigation based on their success in field trials of airborne, maritime, and ground-based quantum navigation augmented by their proprietary AI-powered software ruggedization. This technology enables sensors to operate reliably on moving defense platforms subject to challenging real-world conditions, without the need for traditional shielding or isolation.
Q-CTRL will be joined by Lockheed Martin as a subcontractor on one aspect of the RoQS program, leveraging its expertise in GPS and quantum technology.
RoQS was established by DARPA to accelerate the development, testing, and validation of quantum sensors for real-world defense applications, which include maintaining stability against environmental interference, mechanical vibrations, and heavy g-forces.
Some sectors and organizations are fast-maturing quantum navigation for use on land, sea, in space, and in the air. The aerospace industry is actively exploring the potential for magnetic navigation technologies, with companies like aircraft manufacturer Airbus pursuing their development.
Additionally, Q-CTRL’s programs target the complementary missions of geophysical mapping of gravity and magnetic fields, as well as positioning based on matching detected signals to the pre-generated maps. This approach provides huge advantages in navigational missions and delivers new insights into minerals prospecting and underground target detection.
Ironstone Opal, the company’s quantum-assured navigation system, recently outperformed a high-end inertial navigation system (INS) in flight for the first time, achieving up to 111x greater positioning accuracy when GPS was unavailable – a significant step forward for real-world applications of quantum sensing to defense missions. In these tests, the company’s proprietary AI-driven, software-level innovation was the key to the removal of platform interference.
Ironstone Opal’s navigation system was also recently validated in maritime trials on board the Royal Australian Naval vessel, MV Sycamore.
In March, Lockheed Martin and Q-CTRL were awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype a quantum-enabled Inertial Navigation System (INS).
DARPA has an incredible track record of delivering innovations that change the face of society, from the internet and mobile phones to night vision and stealth. We’re honored that our recent demonstrations and exciting new ideas earned Q-CTRL’s selection to deliver a new generation of software-ruggedized quantum sensors for the most challenging defense missions. We’re here to win and are excited to work with the team at DARPA for the benefit of the warfighter,” said Michael J Biercuk, CEO and Founder of Q-CTRL.
We look forward to supporting Q-CTRL and DARPA in the development of robust quantum-enhanced navigational technology. This award signifies the priority defense agencies are placing on the potential for quantum navigation solutions to deliver transformational national security capabilities that complement GPS,” said Thomas Loftus, Senior Fellow at Lockheed Martin.
USGS, NASA, and other Federal Agencies are exploring how to use the emerging generation of highly capable, mobile quantum sensors to detect and assess mineral deposits, and to map out detailed subsurface patterns for GNSS-denied navigation. DARPA’s awards to Q-CTRL illustrate the potential for impactful new use of this technology, and NASA looks forward to pursuing a deeper relationship with Q-CTRL,” said Jonathan Stock, Chief Scientist for Innovation, NASA Ames Intelligent Systems Division.