Researchers seek to identify military planes, ships, and vehicles for installation of quantum sensors
ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers are ready to find new ways of speeding the installation of quantum sensors to military aircraft, ships, and land vehicles.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced plans in December for the future Robust Quantum Sensors (RoQS) program.
Quantum sensors are expected to offer capabilities in applications like navigation, environmental monitoring, and medical imaging that are far beyond what traditional sensors can achieve.
High sensitivity and accuracy
Quantum sensors use quantum mechanics to achieve high sensitivity and accuracy by harnessing quantum entanglement, superposition, and tunneling to detect minute changes in physical quantities like magnetic fields, gravitational waves, or temperature.
RoQS will use design approaches that involve photonic systems or solid state systems. While quantum sensors have demonstrated exceptional laboratory performance in magnetic and electrical fields, acceleration, rotation, and gravity, their performance degrades once the sensor is placed on moving planes, ships, and vehicles.
Problems arise with quantum sensors on moving military systems because of electrical and magnetic fields, field gradients, and system vibrations.
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RoQS seeks to overcome these challenges by developing quantum sensors that inherently resist performance degradation from platform interference, and demonstrate them on a military land, air, or maritime vehicle. RoQS seeks to switch RoQS-developed quantum sensors onto U.S. military platforms and programs of record.
RoQS will take a two-pronged approach. First, the program seeks to find prime systems integrators able to help with quantum sensor integration, and second, to find the best ways of integrating quantum sensors on select military systems.
Companies interested should make their intentions known no later than 24 Jan. 2025 by email at [email protected]. Include the special notice number, DARPA-SN-25-27, in all correspondence. More information is online at https://sam.gov/opp/b9cb0255a3814d9e894981e8e160c3a4/view.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
