Q-CTRL secures 2 contracts with DARPA Robust Quantum Sensors program

The Q-CTRL contracts, valued at $38 million, will augment the company’s field-validated quantum sensing technologies for demanding real-world use cases in high-performance military vehicles.

Q-CTRL will develop next-generation quantum sensors for navigation based on field trials of airborne, maritime and ground-based quantum navigation augmented by their proprietary artificial intelligence-powered software ruggedisation.

“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,” Q-CTRL chief executive officer and founder Michael J Biercuk said.

“We’re honoured that our recent demonstrations and exciting new ideas earned Q-CTRL’s selection to deliver a new generation of software-ruggedised quantum sensors for the most challenging defence missions.

“We’re here to win and are excited to work with the team at DARPA for the benefit of the warfighter.”

Q-CTRL will be joined by Lockheed Martin as a subcontractor on one aspect of the RoQS program. Both companies were awarded a contract in March by the US Department of Defense’s Innovation Unit to prototype a quantum-enabled inertial navigation system.

RoQS was established by DARPA to accelerate the development, testing and validation of quantum sensors for real-world defence applications, which include maintaining stability against environmental interference, mechanical vibrations and heavy g-forces.