US is building quantum drones to make comms ‘unhackable’ during war

US researchers are building a drone-based communication network that would leverage the laws of quantum physics to make information exchange ultra-secure. While this system can prove beneficial in several scenarios, one prominent use case is warfare wherein quantum drones could provide one-time crypto-keys to relay critical messages that spies and enemies would not be able to intercept.

Similar efforts have been made by China before, but this is the first time such a project is being undertaken in the US at the behest of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Florida Atlantic University’s Warner A. Miller is leading the project in concert with quantum tech specialist Qubitekk and defense technology innovator L3Harris.

In addition to drones, this new communication network would include a ground station, lasers, and fiber optics to share quantum-secured information. But how does quantum communication work?

The phenomenon involves a pair of particles of…