QuantX Labs bags $2.7m defence contract for advanced quantum sensor development

Founded in 2016 by Andre Luiten, QuantX Labs develops precision timing and sensing technology at Adelaide’s innovation precinct, Lot Fourteen. The company employs 40 staff and partners with UK-based multinational BAE Systems and the Department of Defence.

QuantX Labs has won two contracts totalling $2.7 million that will enable AUKUS partners to develop position navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities, which encompass the technologies, systems and processes used to determine how, where and when tasks are performed.

The portable atomic clocks are the result of over seven years of research and development, initially at the Institute of Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) at The University of Adelaide, in close partnership with the ADF.

In May 2022, the SmartSAT Co-operative Research Centre granted $1 million to QuantX Labs to develop an optical atomic clock as an orbiting satellite payload, aiming to provide Australia with sovereign navigation and timing capabilities.

This is the second product that QuantX Labs has successfully developed out of IPAS and follows the creation of Cryoclock, which delivers the world’s purest output signals for use in radar. The Cryoclock is being manufactured as a key inclusion in Australia’s $1.2 billion AIR2025 Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) Phase 6 Defence upgrade program.

JORN is a radar system with stations at Longreach in Queensland, Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and Laverton in Western Australia, in addition to an operations centre at Edinburgh in South Australia.

The upgrade, developed entirely in Australia with Defence Science and Technology Group support, will enhance its performance by replacing most of its radar, frequency management, and ICT hardware.

“I am very proud to have been part of this second outstanding example of technology transfer.  Here we see leading-edge research translated into a globally-leading product through a deep and motivated collaboration between university researchers and industry,” Luiten says.

“Sadly, while Australia is at the forefront of global research, it is a laggard when it comes to translating that capability into industry impact. 

“Here we have found the magic recipe to drive this critical need, which is creating jobs, economic wealth and an improved wellbeing of our society.”

The optical atomic clock for the ADF is part of a mobile precision timing test that will be delivered in early 2025. The testbed will be used to test and evaluate sensors, communication and navigation systems to determine operational resilience in a GPS-degraded scenario.

QuantX will also deliver optical atomic clocks under AUKUS Pillar II by the end of 2024, enabling partners in Australia, the UK and the US to develop advanced precision navigation and timing capabilities.

This same optical clock technology is being developed further at QuantX, with a clock satellite payload undergoing rigorous space-environment testing under the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars program and is scheduled to be launched in 2025.

Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro says investing in next-generation atomic clocks supports the commitment of the ADF to innovation priorities outlined in the National Defence Strategy.

“Defence will increasingly leverage emerging disruptive technologies such as quantum to provide a capability edge for the warfighter,” Professor Monro says.

“This is the first sale for QuantX Labs and a prime example of the collaborative relationships needed to transition leading-edge sovereign research into advanced operational capabilities for the Australian Defence Force.”