DRDO, IIT(Delhi) Create India’s First Unhackable Communication
India has taken another big step toward ultra-secure: Ministry of defence;
NEW DELHI: India has taken another big step toward ultra-secure, “unhackable” communications. Scientists from the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and IIT Delhi have successfully sent quantum-encrypted data through open air for more than 1 km on the IIT Delhi campus, the ministry of defence said on Monday. The breakthrough means India is closer to fielding military-grade, tap-proof networks and eventually, a nationwide quantum internet.
Instead of running a fibre-optic cable, the team used lasers to transmit a stream of entangled photons through the air. It secured a key rate of ~240 bits per second with an error rate below 7 per cent. The distance covered was just over 1 km, enough to link two buildings or a battlefield command post without laying cables.
Any attempt to eavesdrop disturbs the quantum state of the photons and is instantly detected. Free-space links are cheaper and faster to deploy in rough terrain or crowded cities. The demo paves the way for long-distance, satellite-based or city-to-city quantum networks in India.
The project is part of a DRDO-funded effort called “Design and Development of Photonic Technologies for Free-Space QKD.” It was led by Prof Bhaskar Kanseri’s research group at IIT Delhi, with DRDO scientists observing the test. It builds on earlier milestones: a 2022 inter-city quantum link (Vindhyachal–Prayagraj) and a 100 km fibre-based QKD experiment in 2024.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh called the trial “a game-changer in future warfare,” while DRDO chairman Dr S.V. Kamat and IIT Delhi director Prof Rangan Banerjee congratulated the team.