India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in partnership with technology firm Taqbit Labs, has successfully tested a quantum key distribution (QKD) system designed to secure military communications against future cyber threats.
The military field trial, announced by DRDO on Monday, validated a scalable fibre-based QKD system intended to support the development of a secure, multi-hop quantum communications network for India’s armed forces.
Taqbit Labs said it has worked with DRDO since 2020 to develop customized QKD systems for both existing and new military communications networks. The partnership also includes quantum random number generators and post-quantum cryptography technologies designed to strengthen long-term protection against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Unlike conventional encryption, QKD uses the principles of quantum mechanics to securely distribute encryption keys. Any attempt to intercept the transmission alters the quantum state of the photons carrying the key, immediately revealing the presence of an eavesdropper.
According to Taqbit, its Coherent-One-Way QKD system can transmit secure encryption keys over fibre-optic links exceeding 100 kilometers while maintaining a key generation rate of about 1 kilobit per second under operational conditions.
The successful trial marks another step in India’s efforts to develop indigenous quantum technologies for defence and secure critical military communications against emerging quantum computing threats.