Indian Army Publishes RFP For Quantum Key Distribution Technology Acquisition

The main function of QKD is to carry out secure communication using a cryptographic protocol involving multiple quantum mechanical elements.

The Indian Army has begun the process of acquiring Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology created by a Bengaluru-based cybersecurity firm by releasing a commercial Request for Proposal, according to the Ministry of Defence (RFP).

The main function of QKD is to carry out secure communication using a cryptographic protocol involving multiple quantum mechanical elements. The technology lets two parties to generate random secret keys that are known only to them and shared by both, resulting in an extremely secure communication that only those parties can use to encrypt and decrypt messages.

Critical data, sound, or video between the end points is encrypted using unhackable encryption keys created using QKD to help construct a non-hackable quantum channel.

The MoD announced on Sunday that QNu Labs, a cybersecurity start-up based in Bengaluru, has overcome geographical barriers by innovating advanced secured communication through QKD systems under the auspices of its initiative “Innovation for Defence Excellence” (iDEX) under the Defence Innovation Organization (DIO).

“iDEX-DIO collaborated with the Indian Army to curate the project. Following the conclusion of the testing, the Indian Army has started the process of acquiring QKD systems created by QNu Labs by releasing a commercial Request For Proposal (RFP) and its deployment, according to a press release from the MoD.

According to the government, a 150-kilometer-long quantum communication link was established in terrestrial optical fibre infrastructure for the system created by the QNu.

The announcement said, “At a time when the nation is commemorating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,’ India is ready to enter the league of global leaders with indigenous and more advanced quantum communication technology in order to provide its Armed Forces with cutting-edge defence.

According to a press release, Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar described the creation of indigenous QKD technology as a major victory for “Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal” and an appropriate success story for “Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”

The Department of Defense Production, Ministry of Defense, iDEX-DIO, Army Design Bureau, and Indian Army Signals Directorate were also recognised by the Defence Secretary for their contributions to the nation’s first-ever high-end quantum technology development.

According to the press release, co-founder and CEO of QNu Labs Sunil Gupta stated, “The ambition of putting India on the forefront of deep innovations in the realm of data security through the application of quantum technology has now yielded fruit. The Open Challenge-2 victory on iDEX gave QNu Labs the platform it needed to achieve this incredible feat.

A team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) had already shown a QKD link spanning more than 100 kilometres earlier in February.

The technique was tested for communication between two DRDO sites in Hyderabad, the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI), across a distance of 12 kilometres, in the first week of December 2020. This demonstration took place over a shorter distance.