Quantum sensing uses the behaviour of matter at very small scales to measure motion, gravity, electromagnetic fields and time with greater precision or stability than conventional systems can provide. Lockheed Martin has worked in quantum science since 2008 and made quantum one of its priority technology areas in 2021, alongside directed energy, hypersonics and autonomy.
“It takes a lot of clever engineering to package the complicated quantum system into a device that can be used in the real world, outside of a lab,” said Gwen Leifer, Senior Quantum Systems Engineer and Lead for Quantum Workforce Development at Lockheed Martin. “But once you do, you have a device that may be more precise, uses less power or works in ways conventional sensors cannot.”
A central effort is Lockheed Martin’s role as prime contractor for the Defense Innovation Unit Transition of Quantum Sensors programme, which is developing a quantum inertial navigation system. Working with Q-CTRL and AOSense, the team aims to use individual atoms to detect motion and orientation and provide a GPS-augmenting navigation capability for different operating environments.
“In our work with our partner companies, we’re the engineers in the room,” said Dani Couger, Quantum Technologies Lead at Lockheed Martin. “We know how to take something fragile, integrate it with complex systems and make it thrive in real environments.”
That integration challenge draws on Lockheed Martin’s experience with precision laser and optical systems that must operate through vibration, movement and temperature changes. “They don’t need to be quantum physicists. They already know how to solve the real hardware problems that stand between a lab prototype and useful, deployable hardware,” said Tom Loftus, Quantum Sensing and Position, Navigation, and Timing Lead at Lockheed Martin.
The company sees quantum sensing as one of the more immediate opportunities within quantum technology, with federal timelines pointing to quantum capabilities by 2028. Lockheed Martin is preparing sensing demonstrations this year and beyond to test performance on actual platforms rather than only under controlled laboratory conditions.
“These aren’t science experiments for their own sake,” Couger said. “They are designed to answer practical questions.”
Lockheed Martin draws a distinction between sensing and large-scale quantum computing, which continues to face significant technical uncertainties. “There are still fundamental open questions about whether quantum computers will outperform classical computers at scale. With that being said, along with our quantum computing partners, we continue to push forward the research to answer the hardest questions,” Couger said.
For defence users, the near-term focus is on whether quantum sensing can improve navigation, timing and measurement where GPS is interfered with, networks are degraded or conventional systems lose effectiveness. Lockheed Martin is positioning its systems-integration experience as the bridge between highly sensitive quantum hardware and equipment capable of operating reliably on military platforms.
Source: Lockheed Martin.
