Defense Innovation Unit News: DIU Adds SandboxAQ’s AQNav
DIU Field Tests Quantum Sensing Technology in Five Critical Areas
Defense Innovation Unit news
The Defence Innovation Unit announced a partnership with SandboxAQ to develop magnetic navigation technology for GPS-denied settings.
The Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) Transition of Quantum Sensing (TQS) program is entering field testing to demonstrate the military value of cutting-edge quantum sensors to improve strategic Joint Force capabilities like anomaly detection and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing. In conjunction with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defence Research & Engineering for Quantum (OUSD(R&E)-Quantum) and service partners, the TQS program went from strategy to supplier selection and awards in six months after its summer 2024 debut.
Quantum sensors promise greater precision, accuracy, and sensitivity than classical sensors, with scientific and economic advances. These solutions are ready for field testing.
QS plan subject matter experts and operational stakeholders from throughout the DoD were incorporated in under six months.
The initial phase of the 12-month TQS program will include over 10 field testing of quantum sensing applications in DoD contexts such ground, air, and maritime domains.
SandboxAQ announced a relationship with the Department of War (DoW) Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) for its Transition of Quantum Sensing (TQS) program today. The purpose is to quickly develop and test cutting-edge Magnetic Anomaly Navigation (MagNav) technology for US military autonomous systems.
The TQS program, managed by DIU's Emerging Technologies portfolio, accelerates commercial quantum sensing technology deployment to ensure Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) resilience in the event of GNSS signal failure or blockage. As part of the TQS initiative, SandboxAQ will employ its dual-purpose AQNav software to deliver dependable, robust navigation without outside signals. SandboxAQ will generate a large dataset to compare results to DoW use-cases and demonstrate AQNav's practicality.
Five main efforts
The TQS program's five interconnected lines of action aim to improve strategic and operational abilities in areas without a comparable program.
Quantum inertial sensors: Without GPS, these sensors maintain orientation, position, and location using linear and angular accelerations. This project focusses on Air Force, Space Force, and Navy marine platform use cases. Several Combatant Commands including Air Force Global Strike Command support next-generation PNT.
To improve precision and stability, TQS is developing atom interferometry to measure rotation and acceleration using the wave-like behaviour of atoms. Another way is to detect motion by observing noble gas nuclei's magnetic moment shift in a polarising magnetic field.
Inertial sensors evolve into quantum gravimeters, which monitor acceleration to detect local gravity effects. This modality is useful for gravity anomaly navigation and land surveying. The U.S. Navy is interested in gravity-assisted maritime navigation. This quantum variant extracts acceleration from Earth's gravity utilising laser-manipulated atoms as free-falling masses. These atomic systems offer exceptional stability that creates new maritime operational zones, according to ONR Program Manager Dr. Tommy Willis.
TQS uses magnetometers for navigation and anomaly detection to sense minute magnetic field changes. Magnetic field strength and gradient can identify dangerous items or travel in GPS-free environments.
MagNav: When GPS is unavailable, small shifts in the Earth's magnetic field can operate as an aircraft's natural navigation signal. Dr. Kevin Brink, Section Chief for Navigation at the AFRL Munitions Directorate, believes MagNav's compact and inexpensive quantum sensors could support dependable and affordable DoD navigation. Technology insertions, component development: This research develops components to make quantum sensor systems lighter, smaller, and more resilient. ICs for photonics, chip-scale lasers, and controlling electronics are created.
Quantum technology relies on microelectronics and sophisticated materials, according to OUSD(R&E) Principal Director of Quantum Science Dr. John Burke. Funding these parts is necessary to create a quantum technology ecosystem that can be incorporated into several DoD platforms.
Cooperating and Looking Ahead
Due to the TQS program's competitive request, many performers received Other Transaction (OT) agreements. AOSense, QuSpin, SandboxAQ, Vector Atomic, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, Leidos, Anduril, and other notable firms and startups do well.
LtCol Estep said DIU encouraged partnerships with startups, conventional defence contractors, and non-traditional DoD solution vendors. The acquisition strategy included sensor, software, and platform manufacturers for prototypes that covered the ultimate product.
2025 should see tremendous development, including field demonstrations across all fields. Dr. Jeff Hebert, Senior Scientist for PNT at the Air Force Research Lab, said the TQS demonstrators and prototypes will give new clocks, inertial measurement units, and magnetometers and herald in a new era in PNT.
