QuantX Labs wins funding for quantum-secured PNT data research

QuantX Labs announced it has $750,000 in funding for a research project aimed at developing a secured position, navigation, and timing (PNT) capability for defence applications. The project, titled “Quantum-Secured Time Transfer for Resilient PNT,” will receive support from Department of Defence, paving the way for cutting-edge advancements in PNT security.

Access to trusted position, navigation, and timing information is of paramount importance for defence operations. Current PNT signals, such as those provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS), are vulnerable to covert spoofing, where malicious actors can transmit false information to disrupt military activities without detection. The “Quantum-Secured Time Transfer for Resilient PNT” project seeks to address this critical issue by harnessing quantum technology to guarantee the authenticity of received PNT data, making spoofing impossible.

This research project builds upon the success of a previous grant from the Defence Innovation Partnership grant, which brought together experts from the University of Adelaide, QuantX Labs, and the Defence Science and Technology Group. The new project encompasses several crucial objectives including demonstration of quantum-secured time transfer using entangled photons, development of a classical two-way time transfer across a free-space link, and investigating the impact of loss and turbulence on both time transfer methods.

Additionally, a critical objective of this research will be to synchronise two Cryoclocks.  These oscillators, QuantX’s flagship product, are renowned as the world’s most precise clocks and are being used as the driving sources for critical radar facilities. The need for synchronisation between multiple radar sites is a key challenge for new radar architectures.

The project will culminate in a demonstration of quantum-secured time transfer over a free space optical link. This will be used to synchronise small Chip Scale Atomic Clocks that are suited for drone and satellite deployment.

A key partner in this work is Inovor Technologies who will assist in the eventual deployment of this technology onto a satellite.

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