The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has configured and tested a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) platform on the live network of its dynamic test ranges at the Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE) in Chandipur, Odisha. The system is intended to protect critical observations and telemetry generated during artillery and armoured-weapon testing, DRDO said in a statement on October 14.
Telemetry is the stream of measurements sent back by instruments during a test. It can include readings such as a projectile’s speed, trajectory and impact point-information that can reveal how a weapon performs. Protecting those data flows matters because unauthorised access could expose sensitive technical findings.
QKD is designed to help secure the exchange of cryptographic keys-the secret values used to encrypt and decrypt information. In a fibre-based QKD link, quantum signals carry key information. Because measuring those signals can disturb them, the communicating parties can detect signs of interception and take steps such as rejecting a compromised key. QKD does not encrypt the underlying trial data by itself; it supplies keys for encryption systems that protect the data.
DRDO says the platform was developed under its Microelectronic Devices, Computational Systems & Cyber Security (MCC) cluster, with Bengaluru-based Taqbit Labs as production partner. The organisation described the system as offering eavesdropping detection and “unconditional security”. In practical terms, QKD’s security properties are based on quantum physics rather than on the assumption that an attacker lacks sufficient computing power.
The Chandipur deployment follows earlier work to take the technology beyond laboratory demonstrations. In February 2022, DRDO and Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi scientists demonstrated a QKD link of more than 100 kilometres between Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh, according to the report. In June 2025, they demonstrated transmission of quantum keys through open air over more than one kilometre on the IIT-Delhi campus, an approach that could be useful where fibre links are difficult to install.
In July 2026, DRDO and Taqbit Labs completed military field trials of a scalable, fibre-based QKD system. The latest test marks a further step: applying the platform on the operational network of a defence test range, rather than only demonstrating a link under trial conditions. The report does not specify the Chandipur network’s link length, key-generation rate or whether the system is intended for broader deployment.
PXE’s Chandipur range extends along the Odisha coast and out to sea, where artillery, rockets and armoured systems are evaluated. A secure channel for test observations could help protect sensitive results as they move between measurement equipment and analysts, while interception alerts could prompt operators to discard compromised keys and establish a fresh exchange.
The work also fits within India’s broader effort to build quantum technologies. The National Quantum Mission, approved in 2023 with an outlay of ₹6,003.65 crore for 2023-24 to 2030-31, includes development of satellite-based secure quantum communications, according to the report. Its stated ambition is to support secure quantum links over distances of up to 2,000 kilometres.
The Chandipur test demonstrates a defence use for quantum-secured communications, but it is not evidence that quantum encryption is already protecting all military networks. Wider use would depend on engineering, network integration and reliable operation beyond a single test-range setting. For now, DRDO’s announcement points to a practical objective: safeguarding weapon-test data and making attempts to tap the key-exchange link detectable.
