Summary
Progress in quantum technologies is poised to have a considerable impact on future warfare. Apart from quantum radars – which have the potential to make stealth vectors and jamming techniques obsolete – the application of quantum physics may also have deeply disruptive effects in other fields. Quantum-based encryption, communications and computing are expected to revolutionize how information is elaborated and exchanged by drastically increasing calculating power and security. This would complicate intelligence-gathering activities, but would also turn the material infrastructure supporting these technologies into a primary target for enemy strikes. China seems to be leading the way in this emerging technology that involves cutting-edge research programs and sophisticated satellites orbiting around Earth, but other powers are also involved and the outcome of this competition, which will have serious consequences in the decades to come.
