Indian Navy to Develop Maritime Communications Using Quantum Technology

Padmesh Prabhune
Quantum technologies will soon be used to develop secure maritime communications in a joint effort by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) and the Indian Navy.
RRI, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (WESEE), the R&D establishment of the Indian Navy, during a ceremony held in New Delhi recently.
The MoU, for a period of five years, was signed between Professor Tarun Souradeep, Director, RRI, and Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, Chief of Materiel, Indian Navy.
Under this agreement, RRI’s Quantum Information and Computing (QuIC) lab will lead the research efforts towards developing quantum key distribution techniques that the Indian Navy could leverage in the nation’s efforts towards securing free space communications.
The QuIC lab also happens to be India’s first laboratory to propose and implement a wide range of applications using single and entangled photons, particularly towards establishing secure communications in strategic areas like banking, defence, and cyber security.
It is learnt that Quantum communications would offer secure communications for India’s missile submarines, creating the prospect that it could be used to connect with nuclear-armed submarines, even though the Indian Navy aims to utilise it for ship-to-shore communication in the first phase.
According to a research, quantum communications with submerged objects in turbulent water are possible. Thus the ability to stay in touch with submarines that are a part of India’s nuclear triad not only has strategic value but also guarantees that Indian military planners can direct order a nuclear strike in response to a first strike in the event of war in minutes rather than hours or days.
Marex Media