French firms C12 and Thales have introduced QuantumTrack, a hybrid quantum-classical system designed for real-time radar tracking of multiple targets.
This project has been developed on an emulator and has reached a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5, with plans to test it on C12's physical processor in the next phase.
Quantum Processor Tackles Complex Challenges
QuantumTrack addresses a significant computational challenge in radar technology: implementing the Multiple Hypothesis Tracking algorithm. Each radar scan requires matching thousands of detections with known trajectories while simultaneously filtering out noise and false targets.
The potential combinations increase exponentially, forcing classical algorithms to limit the hypotheses considered to meet real-time demands. C12 and Thales propose a division of computational tasks between the classical and quantum components of the system.
The quantum processor handles the most complex phase—selecting compatible hypotheses. The larger problem is broken down into smaller tasks, which are solved using quantum annealing, with the results then integrated into the original model.
Performance Comparable to Classical Algorithms
In tests involving noisy measurements and interference, QuantumTrack demonstrated solution times comparable to the best classical algorithms while being approximately 100 times faster than other quantum annealers tested.
The trials were conducted on Callisto, C12's emulator that simulates the behavior of a physical processor with 20 qubits, including error rates and decoherence.
According to the developers, considering the active reset protocol for qubits, a full cycle of QuantumTrack could take around 50 milliseconds. This estimation suggests that the system is approaching the requirements for real-time radar tracking.
Next Steps: Physical Processor Development
The project has been awarded the 2026 Quantum Effects Award in the quantum computing hardware category.
The next objective for the partners is to demonstrate the technology on C12's physical processor and advance to TRL 6. They are exploring applications of this technology in air defense systems and drone traffic management. Thales, a global leader in information systems for aerospace, military, and maritime applications, is serving as the system integrator for this project. C12 is tasked with developing a quantum annealer for QuantumTrack aimed at large-scale real-time optimization.
Additionally, it is worth noting that in August, Thales introduced the Luna 8 security hardware module for creating, storing, and managing cryptographic keys.
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