New Delhi. Zuppa Geo Navigation Technologies Pvt. Ltd., India’s leading indigenous drone manufacturer and navigation systems developer, announced a strategic partnership with QuBeats (a registered trademark of Nostradamus Technologies Private Limited) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-develop and deliver next-generation quantum-assured navigation solutions for Zuppa’s unmanned aerial systems.
The collaboration aligns Zuppa’s cutting-edge drone technology and expertise in advanced autopilot platforms with QuBeats’ pioneering work in quantum sensing and navigation, ensuring that the latter’s technologies are tailored and validated for deployment on Zuppa’s aerial platforms. By mapping local geomagnetic variations, these systems deliver highly accurate positional data without reliance on satellite signals. This would allow Zuppa’s drones to navigate and operate freely in environments where GPS/GNSS is spoofed or jammed.
The partnership comes at a time when traditional GNSS-based navigation systems face increasing vulnerability to electronic warfare tactics. Recent conflicts have demonstrated that GNSS denial and spoofing have become key components of modern combat, with satellite-guided systems being rendered ineffective through jamming and interference.
“While the industry is primarily focused on vision sensors for non-GPS navigation, quantum solutions represent the true path forward for next-generation defence systems,” said Sai Pattabiram, Founder & MD of Zuppa Geo Navigation Technologies. “We are already thinking ahead and collaborating with quantum technology pioneers to develop solutions that will be immune to the electronic warfare threats that plague current navigation systems.”
“We’re delighted to collaborate with Zuppa in adapting our quantum navigation stack for their truly Aatmanirbhar platforms,” said Mallikarjun Karra, Co-Founder of QuBeats. “As quantum-enhanced geomagnetic sensing rapidly emerges as a cornerstone of sovereign, GNSS-independent navigation, this collaboration provides an ideal proving ground to demonstrate the operational maturity and versatility of QuBeats’ technology across India’s growing Alt-PNT ecosystem.”
“The primary applications for these quantum navigation systems are initially targeted at large unmanned systems like MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) and HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs,” explained Venkatesh Sai, Co-Founder and Technical Director at Zuppa. “However, as the technology scales and becomes more commercially economical, we envision porting these capabilities to smaller platforms, revolutionising the entire unmanned systems landscape.”
Zuppa Geo Navigation Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is India’s premier indigenous drone manufacturer, founded in 2008 and based in Chennai. The company specialises in developing cutting-edge drones and autopilot systems for defence and commercial sectors. Zuppa is one of only six companies globally manufacturing micro drones for Infantry & Special Forces and one of only seven with proprietary autopilot systems. The company’s products are DGCA-approved and meet rigorous aerospace standards with AS9100D and DGCA-type certifications.
QuBeats, founded in 2023, is a full-stack quantum sensing solutions start-up based out of Hyderabad. Founded by a team of quantum physicists and technologists, QuBeats specialises in Alt-PNT and other dual use applications of quantum sensing. The start-up has recently won the prestigious IDEX ADITI 2.0 Defence Challenge, securing a ₹25 crore grant from the Defence Ministry to develop an indigenous Quantum Positioning System (QPS) for the Indian Navy.
