Indian military begins using quantum encryption key distribution technology

In mid-August 2022, the Indian military announced the adoption of the quantum key distribution (QKD) technology developed by local specialists, which can operate at a distance of 150 km. It makes it much more difficult to intercept encryption keys by transmitting each bit of the key using a single photon. Because photons are quantum particles, observing them changes their state. And this change can be detected, and the signal itself indicates that the key may have been compromised and therefore should not be used. Thus, the technology can improve the security of military communications in peacetime or during conflicts in India.

Indian military begins using quantum encryption key distribution technology

India's military announced it had tested the technology, which runs more than 150km away, and now plans to buy it and put it into operation. They mentioned using this technology to transmit critical data/voice/video through... endpoints and talked about the potential for devastating impact on modern military operations. The Indian technology was sourced from a startup called QNU Labs, which worked with the Indian defense technology incubator iDEX. The startup offers entropy as a service, a quantum VPN and a secure messaging service.

The Indian government did not say which of them it intends to acquire, but published a request for proposals (RFP) for the company's technologies and promised to put them into production. This could take the Indian Defence Forces forward compared to other armed forces. Countries like NATO are officially saying that QKD is a theoretical possibility of the future. Of course, it is possible that many other countries have developed and deployed QKDs for their military, but are silent about this in case the technology proves ineffective.^[1]

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