China is exploring quantum tech to gather military intelligence, with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reporting 10 experimental tools under development for cyber warfare.
The country plans to leverage these quantum-based tools to process vast amounts of combat data “within seconds,” helping forces make faster battlefield decisions.
They could also support next-generation navigation systems resistant to jamming and enhance air defense radars capable of detecting modern stealth aircraft.
Researchers at the National University of Defence Technology are at the helm of China’s latest quantum project, with officials saying the team is focusing on a mix of cloud computing and AI to develop the technologies.
According to PLA Researcher Liu Wei, the research team is building “new models of battlefield awareness powered by cybersecurity.”
“[The team] fully leverages the advantages of the public service platform system’s integration and all-domain support capabilities,” Liu added, as quoted by South China Morning Post.
Frontline Training
The team has reportedly worked closely with frontline troops to fine-tune the quantum tools for real-life battlefield demands.
Liu and his team said they were able to produce a central situation map thanks to data collected from troops over the span of a year.
“In the future, we will continue to maintain a close partnership with the military to better serve them,” Liu said.
The development of its cyber warfare tools signal Beijing’s further move toward picking up quantum-based tech for modern warfare, previously testing a “quantum radio” prototype it said can pick up signals from kilometers away.
