NEW DELHI: Quantum encryption has moved from field trials to a live military network. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has tested its Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) platform on the operational network of its Chandipur test ranges in Odisha, securing real-time data from artillery and armoured weapon trials.
In a statement on X on Wednesday, DRDO said it had "successfully configured and tested a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) platform in the live network of the dynamic test ranges at Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE), Chandipur."
"This demonstrates the adept use case of QKD to fortify the real-time critical observations & telemetry associated with Artillery and Armoured Weapon tests and evaluation," it added.
Telemetry is the stream of readings beamed back by sensors during a test, such as a shell's speed, trajectory and point of impact. This data reveals how a weapon performs, which makes it a prime target for spies.
So how does QKD work? Every encrypted message needs a secret "key" to lock and unlock it. The fresh test’s encryption protects that key with complex mathematical puzzles, which future quantum computers could crack.
QKD instead sends the key as tiny particles of light, called photons, over optical fibre. Under the laws of quantum physics, merely observing these particles disturbs them. So any attempt to tap the line is instantly detected, much like a seal that breaks the moment anyone peeks.
The QKD system "has been designed and developed under Microelectronic Devices, Computational Systems & Cyber Security (MCC) cluster of DRDO with production partner Taqbit labs and will aptly provide unconditional security added with eavesdropping detection," DRDO said. A"Unconditional" means the security does not depend on how powerful an attacker's computer is.
The Chandipur test caps a series of steps. In February 2022, DRDO and IIT-Delhi scientists demonstrated a QKD link of over 100 km between Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh, a first for the country.
In June last year, they sent quantum keys through open air, without any cable, over more than one km on the IIT-Delhi campus. Such "free-space" links could one day secure communications on battlefields, aircraft and satellites, where laying fibre is impractical.
Then, in July this year, DRDO and Bengaluru-based Taqbit Labs, which has worked with it since 2020, completed military field trials of a scalable, fibre-based QKD system.
PXE's range at Chandipur runs 50 km along the coast and 50 km into the sea. Artillery shells, rockets and armour protection are put through their paces there.
The push comes amid a global race to "quantum-proof" military networks. India's Rs 6,003-crore National Quantum Mission aims for satellite-based secure quantum links over 2,000 km by 2030-31.