A new high definition radar system that could
change the nature of warfare has been demonstrated for the first time.
The result, quantum radar, is a high definition detection system that
provides a much more detailed image of targets while itself remaining
difficult to detect. Quantum radars could provide users with enough
detail to identify aircraft, missiles, and other aerial targets by
specific model.
According to the
MIT Technology Review, researchers at Austria’s Institute of Science and Technology used entangled microwaves to
create the world’s first quantum radar system.
Under a principle known as quantum entanglement,
two particles can be linked together regardless of distance, forming
what scientists call a quantum entangled pair. When something happens to
one particle it can be noticed in the other particle. This in turn
leads to a process called quantum illumination, where information about
one particle’s environment can be inferred by studying the other
particle.
Quantum radars involve pairing photon
particles together, shooting one downrange while keeping the second
captive for observation. The downrange particle will act in a certain
manner as it bounces off certain objects, behavior that can be observed
in the captive particle. The result is much more detailed information
about the target than seen in previous radars.
Today’s
radars can detect targets very well, but provide little detail. Radars
can detect an object and note it's altitude, bearing, and distance, but
otherwise the target is a big, featureless blob. Air defenders must rely
on other things, such identifying radar and other electromagnetic
signals emanating from the target, to discern whether the blob is an
enemy fighter, bomber, or even a commercial civilian aircraft.
Quantum
radars, on the other hand, could provide enough detail for radar
systems to identify the object based on physical characteristics. A
Su-35 Flanker-E fighter, for example, could be identified by the sweep
of its wings, the shape of its nose, and the number of engines.
Another benefit of quantum radars: they emit very
little energy and are thus difficult to detect. All contemporary radars
emit electromagnetic radiation to detect objects. This radiation makes
the radar itself detectable. It’s a lot like having lots of people
holding flashlights in a dark room: turning on your flashlight allows
you to find other people but the flashlight beam leads straight back to
you, giving away your presence and location.
A
lack of detectability offers a distinct tactical advantage in warfare. A
friendly quantum radar could detect a flight of enemy aircraft without
revealing its own presence. This could cause the enemy warplanes to put
off defensively jamming local radars and radio signals—which itself is
noticeable to the defenders. Their guard down, they could then be
ambushed by friendly air defense missiles and fighters waiting for them.
Quantum radars has been billed as a means for detecting stealth aircraft, with
claims that it renders efforts to make aircraft invisible to radar useless. According to three experts polled by
Engineering and Technology, anti-stealth claims are a “gross oversimplication” and the main advantage of quantum radar is the high definition aspect.