Quantum Leap: India's Ambitious Air Defence Upgrade
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Explore CNC Systems →India's Quantum Radar Ambitions: A Low-Readiness Concept
India's air defence architecture is set to undergo a significant upgrade with the exploration of quantum radar technology. This low-readiness concept, which involves integrating quantum sensing with existing classical radar infrastructure, has the potential to enhance stealth detection capabilities.
The Quantum Radar Concept
Quantum radar, also known as quantum illumination, involves generating pairs of correlated or entangled photons. One of these photons is transmitted to the target, while the other is retained within the radar. If part of the signal is reflected back from the target, the receiver attempts to establish a statistical correlation between the received echo and the stored idler.
Laboratory Experiments and Field Trials
Laboratory experiments are planned for 2025-27, followed by hybrid demonstrators and limited field trials during 2027-30. The ultimate goal is to integrate quantum radar nodes into India's wider air-defence architecture by around 2030.
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Explore Carbon Fiber →Challenges and Limitations
While the theoretical advantages of quantum radar are significant, practical experiments have demonstrated much smaller gains. A 2020 X-band experiment reported approximately 1 dB improvement over the selected classical comparison at a one-metre target distance. Reviews of the field have generally placed practical gains in the 1-3 dB range.
Engineering Challenges
There are several engineering issues that need to be addressed, including photon loss, decoherence, synchronisation, storage of the idler, receiver design, cryogenic operation, and scaling the number of useful photon modes. These challenges are significant, and it remains to be seen whether researchers can overcome them.
A Specialisation Alongside Conventional Sensors
Rather than asking whether India can soon replace conventional air-defence radars with a "stealth-killing quantum radar", the more realistic possibility is that quantum sensing could eventually become a specialisation alongside conventional sensors. If researchers can surpass its present limitations, quantum sensing could become a valuable addition to India's air-defence architecture.
Conclusion
India's exploration of quantum radar technology is an ambitious undertaking that has the potential to enhance stealth detection capabilities. While there are significant challenges and limitations to be addressed, the ultimate goal of integrating quantum radar nodes into India's wider air-defence architecture by around 2030 remains a realistic possibility. With continued research and development, quantum sensing could become a valuable specialisation alongside conventional sensors, providing a significant boost to India's air-defence capabilities.
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