The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of Quantum Radar in strengthening India's air defence architecture by addressing the limitations of classical radar systems against stealth and low-observable aerial threats. Air defence in the 21st century is characterised by a continuous contest between detection and evasion. While modern radars have evolved through digital beamforming, phased arrays, and frequency agility, stealth technology—through shaping, radar-absorbent coatings, and signature management—has reduced aircraft radar cross-section to unprecedented levels. For India, facing a two-front threat from technologically advanced adversaries, reliable detection of stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and UAVs is a strategic necessity. Quantum Radar, based on Quantum Illumination principles, utilises photon entanglement and correlation to detect low-RCS targets even in high-noise and jamming environments. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of Quantum Radar with India's indigenous radar systems and examines engineering implementation prospects under the National Quantum Mission. A phased roadmap is proposed to integrate photonic and quantum sensing technologies within the Integrated Air Defence System, enabling future-ready, quantum-resilient surveillance and target acquisition capabilities for the Indian Armed Forces.
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of Quantum Radar in strengthening India's air defence architecture by addressing the limitations of classical radar systems against stealth and low-observable aerial threats. Air defence in the 21st century is characterised by a continuous contest between detection and evasion. While modern radars have evolved through digital beamforming, phased arrays, and frequency agility, stealth technology—through shaping, radar-absorbent coatings, and signature management—has reduced aircraft radar cross-section to unprecedented levels. For India, facing a two-front threat from technologically advanced adversaries, reliable detection of stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and UAVs is a strategic necessity. Quantum Radar, based on Quantum Illumination principles, utilises photon entanglement and correlation to detect low-RCS targets even in high-noise and jamming environments. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of Quantum Radar with India's indigenous radar systems and examines engineering implementation prospects under the National Quantum Mission. A phased roadmap is proposed to integrate photonic and quantum sensing technologies within the Integrated Air Defence System, enabling future-ready, quantum-resilient surveillance and target acquisition capabilities for the Indian Armed Forces.
Stealth planes currently go under the radar, figuratively speaking, but maybe the higher definition promised by quantum radars could be used to expose them. Radar technology has become an ever more important tool in warfare since the Second World War, used to monitor the electromagnetic spectrum to detect and track enemy aircraft, missiles, satellites and other systems that in turn have grown more sophisticated in evading detection. Building better, more sensitive and harder-to-detect radar systems remains a key focus for defence manufacturers today, especially since in October 2018 the US Navy designated the electromagnetic spectrum as a warfighting domain on par with sea, land, air, space and cyber. Last year, China's biggest defence electronics company, state-owned China Electronics Technology Group, announced it had developed a next-generation quantum radar system' that, it claimed, can detect ballistic missiles and other objects flying at high speed through space. Two years previously, the group said it had tested a quantum radar to a range of 100km (60 miles). The expectation is that quantum radar, due to the unique behaviour of quantum entanglement, could, among other things, 'un-stealth' aircraft by detecting objects with a greater level of accuracy than conventional radar. Therefore, if China's announcement is true - and it hasn't provided any evidence to back its claim - it would be a huge win for both its defence and quantum capabilities.
Quantum radar represents a promising advancement over classical radar systems by exploiting quantum mechanical phenomena such as entanglement and quantum measurement to overcome fundamental detection limitations. This paper reviews the evolution of radar technology from conventional radar frequency systems to quantum radar architectures, with emphasis on sensitivity enhancement and detection of RF-stealth targets for military defense applications. Classical radar parameters such as radar range, transmitted power and cross section are revisited and extended to their quantum analogues. The role of entangled single photon sources in improving detection performance under high noise and jamming environments is discussed. Context of microwave quantum radar is reviewed along with photonic implementations. This paper further highlights the importance of quantum measurement theory, including system-apparatus entanglement, density matrix formalism and wave function collapse in extracting information from quantum radar systems. Although significant experimental challenges remain, recent advances indicate strong potential for future development of quantum radar in next generation defense and surveillance systems.
This paper presents a study on quantum radar technology developments, design Consideration for its integration, and quantum radar cross-section, QRCS based on quantum electrodynamics and interferometric considerations. Quantum radar systems supported by quantum measurement can fulfill not only conventional target detection and recognition tasks but are also capable of detecting and identifying the RF stealth platform and weapons systems. The development of radar technology is of the utmost importance in many avenues of research. The concept of a quantum radar has been proposed which utilizes quantum states of photons to establish information on a target at a distance. A photon, or a little cluster of photons, is distributed towards the target. The photons are absorbed and reemitted from the target and into the receiver. The measurement process may be executed in two alternative ways. One can perform an interferometric measurement (or phase measurement) on the photon, or one can simply count the number of photons that return. the previous method is named Interferometric Quantum Radar, and therefore the latter method is termed Quantum Illumination. For either of those methods, one can use stationary quantum states of photons or use entangled states. Its been shown that entangled states provide the most effective possible boost in resolution, achieving within the ideal case. The benefit of using quantum states is that they exhibit extra degrees of correlation by which to get information compared to classical methods. These extra correlations (called quantum correlations) serve to boost the resolution and signal/noise (SNR) that may be achieved within the radar system.
This Paper examines novel approach the advancements in Q-dots based quantum radar technology, design considerations for its integration, and quantum radar cross section (QRCS) based on interferometric and quantum electrodynamics. In addition to performing standard target detection and recognition duties, quantum radar systems with quantum measurement assistance may also detect and identify RF stealth platforms and missile systems. In numerous fields of study, the advancement of radar technology is crucial. A quantum radar is a notion that has been developed that uses photon quantum states to gather information about a distant target. A single photon or a small group of photons is directed in the direction of the target. The target absorbs the photons, which are then re-emitted into the receiver. There are two possible approaches to carrying out the measurement procedure. An interferometric analysis can be performed.one can either count the number of photons that return or perform a measurement (or phase measurement) on the photon. Since the latter technique is called Quantum Illumination, the former is called Interferometric Quantum Radar. Entangled states or stationary quantum states of photons can be used for either of those techniques. Entangled states have been demonstrated to offer the best resolution enhancement, reaching the optimum situation. Compared to classical approaches, the advantage of adopting quantum states is that they show more degrees of correlation via which information can be obtained. These additional correlations, sometimes referred to as quantum correlations, increase the radar system's potential resolution and signal/noise ratio (SNR). Relationship research between the two photons is conducted in order to gather data. Coherent state quantum radar relies on coherent state photons and a quantum detection technique to overcome the diffraction limit. The design and operating concepts of quantum applied trends are also reviewed in this work.
The global security architecture and the Indian defence system have been revolutionised due to the advancement of technology, and because of this, the architecture is poised at the juncture of the second Quantum revolution, which is not only a drastic progress but also signifies how far we have come since the time of independence. While discussing the second Quantum revolution we cannot negate the fact that the first quantum revolution was quite significant in nature as it ruled throughout the 20th century and also managed to harness the statistical properties and elements of the quantum mechanics to develop foundational technologies such as the transistor, the laser, and the atomic clock, the contemporary era is defined by the transition to Quantum Revolution 2.0. This New Era is considered as one of the most progressive eras as it is distinguished by the capacity to control individual quantum systems, such as atoms, ions, photons, and electrons, in order to take use of the "strange" principles of quantum physics, such as tunneling, entanglement, and superposition, at the boundaries of known physical reality. This paper shall focus upon the analytical research of quantum technology and how it has shaped the defence sector globally. This paper also highlights the multiple utility of this technology and its incorporation in India. In the end it proposes a study of its good and bad sides by highlighting the recent setbacks posed by them. Keywords: Technology; Security; defence; quantum; atomic
The quantum computing began with the concern of Richard Feynman to simulate the non-classical physical theories, Shor's algorithm showed the power of the quantum mechanics when solved a classical problem with it, these facts push the technology to discover and implement the quantum illumination, this discovery made a huge change in sensing theory, moreover, the implemented such as phenomena with a classical radar, make a play role in detecting strategies in sensing the stealth objects (whatever be an aircraft or drones), even more, the quantum radar can detect in an efficient way and more accuracy the natural debris outside the atmosphere, also, the quantum radar can work even though, in nosy, foggy, and high-temperature environment, all these features make the quantum radar promising emerging technology deserve to develop and enhanced in theoretical and technical ways. this paper provided a short analysis study to the most common types of quantum radar showing their cons and pros and could be used either in civil or military fields.