Jane Heyes from BAE Systems’ FAST Labs announced the signing of a three‑year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to advance quantum sensing and networking. The partnership will leverage BAE Systems’ expertise in quantum radio-frequency (RF) sensors, built on Rydberg atoms—highly excited atoms that enable frequency-independent sensing, suitable for integration on smaller platforms—alongside AFRL’s quantum networking capabilities. Work will unfold at BAE Systems’ Merrimack, New Hampshire, and AFRL’s Information Directorate in Rome, New York, with field testing at AFRL’s Stockbridge, New York site, and aims to refine arrays of quantum RF antennas for enhanced soldier communications, spectrum awareness and electronic warfare, thereby expanding defence and civilian applications. Dr. Erin C. Sheridan, a research physicist in quantum information science at AFRL, underscored the promise of integrating multiple quantum RF sensors into an array to deliver new capabilities for the warfighter.
BAE Systems FAST Labs and AFRL Sign Three Year CRADA to Advance Quantum Sensing and Networking
On 10 September 2025, BAE Systems’ FAST Labs division and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) entered into a three‑year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) in Nashua, New Hampshire. The agreement, announced by PRNewswire, formalises a partnership that will focus on the development of quantum sensing and networking technologies for both military and civilian use.
The central objective is to refine and integrate cutting‑edge quantum technologies into practical sensors, networks and distributed sensing systems, with the aim of delivering a demonstrable, frequency‑independent quantum RF sensor platform that can be deployed across a range of defence platforms. This effort is intended to enhance future security for defence and civilian applications.
The project centres on quantum RF sensors that employ Rydberg atoms—highly excited atomic states whose energy levels are exquisitely responsive to electric fields. This configuration yields a frequency‑independent, bandwidth‑agnostic response that is particularly advantageous for integration onto compact platforms. By assembling multiple RF antennas into an array, the team will broaden the range of measurable phenomena, enabling simultaneous detection of diverse electromagnetic signatures across a wide spectrum. The array approach is expected to improve real‑time electronic‑warfare decision‑making by delivering precise localisation and characterisation of hostile emitters and monitoring spectrum congestion in contested theatres.
Work will be carried out at FAST Labs’ Merrimack, New Hampshire facility, AFRL’s Information Directorate in Rome, New York, and an AFRL field‑testing site in Stockbridge, New York, over the three‑year period. The collaboration aims to deliver a functional, frequency‑independent quantum RF sensor platform that can be integrated onto a range of defence platforms, thereby extending the United States’ edge in quantum‑enabled communications and electronic‑warfare capabilities.
Jane Heyes, principal scientist at FAST Labs, and Dr Erin C. Sheridan, research physicist in quantum information science at AFRL, highlighted the potential of the collaboration to push the boundaries of quantum sensing and networking, and to provide the warfighter with unprecedented situational awareness.
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