The department said the effort is intended to support a new era of battlefield awareness through the use of quantum technologies. The initiative focuses on moving beyond the limitations of classical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors in electromagnetically contested environments.
The project is designed to address what the department described as the “sensitivity-SWaP” trade-off, referring to size, weight and power. Classical sensors for electric, magnetic and gravitational fields often require compromises between high sensitivity, instantaneous bandwidth and SWaP, while the department said quantum technologies are not bound by the same constraints.
DIU will focus on high-fidelity quantum electric field sensors, magnetometers, gravimeters and tactical clocks. The aim is to develop systems small enough for field deployment while providing the sensitivity needed for aerial, surface and subsurface missions.
The initiative is also intended to provide absolute precision timing and the ability to detect and understand weak signals at vast distances. The department said this could support new levels of situational awareness and new concepts of operation for the Joint Force.
“The United States Department of War must accelerate deployment and commercialization of quantum sensing to maintain superiority of knowledge of the battle space, speed of decision and operational dominance,” said Kyle Norman, who leads DIU’s quantum sensing team.
The project is organised into four primary lines of effort covering electric field sensors and magnetometers, gravity gradiometers, tactical clocks and component technology insertions. The department said it is seeking to lower development costs and speed fielding by using dual-use commercial solutions.
The initiative will draw on advances from sectors such as mineral exploration, oil and gas surveying and advanced medical imaging. The department said it is prepared to use the U.S. and allied commercial technology ecosystem to support the effort.
DIU said it is investing at a critical inflection point to send a demand signal to the commercial sector. The department aims to unlock private-sector supply chains and catalyse manufacturing scale needed to move quantum sensing technology from the laboratory to the field and into the broader economy.
The dual-use scaling effort is designed to allow both the Department of War and the commercial sector to use the precision of quantum RF sensing. The department said the goal is to support global market leadership in a future of widespread quantum sensors.
