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A British consortium with funding from the UK government has successfully tested what it calls “un-jammable” quantum navigation tech in flight.

Geopolitical tensions and warfare have introduced GPS jamming as a means of messing with enemy communication and navigation. This can cause disturbances for both military and civilian transportation and location services.

The quantum-based navigation system is called Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT). Its developers are quantum technology firm Infleqtion’s UK subsidiary in collaboration with aerospace company BAE Systems and defence tech contractor QinetiQ, among others.

Micius is considered quantum’s “Sputnik” moment, prompting American policymakers to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into quantum information science via the National Quantum Initiative. Bills such as the Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 have provided $1.5 billion for communications research, including quantum technology. The Biden Administration’s proposed 2024 budget includes $25 billion for “emerging technologies” including AI and quantum. Ultimately, quantum’s awesome computing power will soon render all existing cryptography obsolete, presenting a security migraine for governments and corporations everywhere.

Quantum’s potential to turbocharge AI also applies to the simmering technology competition between the world’s superpowers. In 2021, the U.S. Commerce Department added eight Chinese quantum computing organizations to its Entity List, claiming they “support the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army” and adopt American technologies to develop “counter-stealth and counter-submarine applications, and the ability to break encryption.”

These restrictions dovetail with a raft of measures targeting China’s AI ambitions, including last year blocking Nvida from selling AI chips to Chinese firms. The question is whether competition between the world’s top two economies stymies overall progress on AI and quantum—or pushes each nation to accelerate these technologies. The answer could have far-reaching consequences.

To overcome these obstacles, the research team developed a novel pulse irradiation synthesis method that achieves both a low processing temperature and an ultra-short reaction time, surpassing the capabilities of conventional techniques.

With the new method for preparing metal sulfide thin films at low temperatures, these detectors can now achieve higher performance on suitable flexible substrates. This creates exciting possibilities for thermal imaging applications in security monitoring, fire detection, military surveillance, and other fields.

Additionally, the photothermoelectric effect allows for the conversion of invisible infrared light into electrical signals, paving the way for applications in high-speed communications and optical signal processing.

Everything in the universe may be preordained, according to physics.

By Dan Falk

Continue reading “Has Quantum Physics Determined Your Future?” »

In modern warfare, the Rogue 1 unmanned aerial system offers a range of safety features and versatile capabilities.

Underwater recon and attack drones are about to enter war zones.

Australia has unveiled ‘Ghost Shark’, an underwater drone that is capable of surveillance, intelligence collection and attacking enemy targets. The U.S. has a ‘Monster Manta’ that can carry a range of payloads, carry out long-range missions. Countries around the world are developing unmanned underwater vehicles for the next war at sea. What about India?

Continue reading “Gravitas: A new underwater warfare, is India prepared?” »

DARPA is funding the development of a military-grade quantum laser prototype that can penetrate dense fog and operate over long distances.

US defence giant Northrop Grumman has tested an underwater drone that looks like a monster manta ray. The drone is capable of carrying multiple payloads of various sizes, and the machine is autonomous and war-ready.

#us #defence #drone.

Continue reading “US military flaunts massive unmanned ‘Manta Ray’ | WION” »

The council will delve into the ongoing tug-of-war between military and intelligence agency leaders.