Quantum sensing navigation undergoes first sea trials with Australian Navy

A solution to GPS denial may lie in quantum sensing, a technique recently used by the Royal Australian Navy in trials with Q-CTRL, an Australian quantum technology company. These trials come as the U.S. also invests in similar technology and solutions to the critical problem facing worldwide navies today.

Quantum sensing was recently implemented aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s multirole aviation training vessel, where a quantum dual gravimeter was deployed to measure variations in gravity to boost GPS abilities when traditional methods fail, according to a Q-CTRL news release Wednesday. In over 144 hours of continuous operation -- with no human intervention -- data was successfully collected, the company stated.

The quantum sensing market is expected to reach $3 billion to $5 billion by 2030, Boston Consulting Group partner Jean-Francois Bobier stated in the news release. Clearly a lucrative market overall, the effort to access GPS-denied environments has seen more contractors join the effort in the past year, including Saildrone.

The unmanned surface vessel developer announced its positioning system was operational within the Navy in March and was developed to be used in conditions like those witnessed by Task Force 59 -- the Navy’s unmanned systems unit -- in the Middle East. Saildrone’s system uses many forms of localization to enable operation without relying on satellites.

In January, Task Group 59.1 announced its plans to launch a USV with GPS-denied capability, as GPS disruptions in the Gulf of Aqaba have posed a challenge for the task group, Lt. Luis Echeverria said at the Surface Navy Association’s conference in January.

The Royal Australian Navy is not the only service that has taken notice of Q-CTRL’s quantum sensing work.

In March, the Defense Innovation Unit awarded an Other Transaction Agreement to Q-CTRL, alongside 17 other contractors, to contribute to DIU’s Transition of Quantum Sensors Project which began in 2024.