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Australian quantum technology firm Q-CTRL has announced a major milestone in navigation technology following a successful field trial of its advanced quantum sensing systems aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s multi-role aviation training vessel, MV Sycamore.
The exercise, conducted in partnership with the Australian Defence Force, marks a significant step towards deploying software-hardened quantum navigation in contested maritime environments.
Q-CTRL, a global leader in quantum infrastructure software, demonstrated the real-world utility of its quantum dual gravimeter – a cutting-edge device that reads minute variations in Earth’s gravitational field. Installed in a standard communications room on board MV Sycamore and bolted directly to the ship’s floor, the device operated continuously for over 144 hours without human intervention. This capability represents a major advancement in positioning, navigation and timing solutions when global positioning system (GPS) is denied or compromised.
“Quantum sensors provide a near-term opportunity to achieve transformational defence capabilities, but previous deployments have struggled to meet performance needs in the field,” said Professor Michael J Biercuk, Q-CTRL’s CEO and founder. “Running on a moving platform like a ship is very different from conducting a controlled science experiment. At Q-CTRL, we’ve focused on software as the key to ensuring performance in real-world conditions.”
The trial demonstrated the practical application of a quantum-assured navigation system at sea, opening new pathways for resilient maritime operations where magnetic-based systems are less effective and GPS may be jammed or spoofed.
The trial is part of Q-CTRL’s wider quantum navigation push, following earlier successful airborne demonstrations of its Ironstone Opal quantum magnetic navigation system. That system showed a fiftyfold performance gain over comparable technologies in real-world settings.
The latest results highlight the importance of resilient navigation solutions as GPS denial becomes an increasingly acute challenge across both civilian and military domains. As recently as 23 June, spoofed GPS signals caused disruption to commercial shipping in Middle Eastern waters, raising alarms about navigation safety and the potential for collisions in crowded or contested areas.
Q-CTRL’s gravimetric navigation system offers an alternative by “seeing” gravity variations – akin to identifying valleys and mountains – allowing navigators to determine their location even without satellite access. Crucially, this technology is based on the immutable laws of physics and is not subject to drift, unlike inertial navigation systems.
According to Jean-François Bobier, partner and vice president in Deep Tech at the Boston Consulting Group, “We expect the quantum sensing market to grow to between $3 billion and $5 billion by 2030. Q-CTRL’s field-proven capabilities make them a standout early mover in a market that has clear use cases, especially in defence.”
Developed and deployed in just 14 months, Q-CTRL’s dual gravimeter operated using only 180 watts – roughly a 10th of the power consumed by a standard toaster. Unlike previous research-grade experiments that often require delicate conditions, this system performed reliably in the noisy, vibration-prone environment of an operational naval vessel.
Q-CTRL’s success is largely credited to its unique software-ruggedisation techniques, which allow sensitive quantum devices to maintain performance in harsh, real-world environments. These methods allowed the team to overcome signal loss caused by ship motion and engine vibration – obstacles that would traditionally render quantum devices inoperable outside the lab.
“Most field tests rely on infrastructure or intervention that wouldn’t be viable in operational settings,” Biercuk added. “Our systems had to work just like they would on a real mission – and they did.”
Q-CTRL’s results, including its technical achievements, have been validated in a peer-reviewed publication in Nature and are expected to contribute significantly to Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities while attracting international interest.
