Quantum in Aerospace: Innovation Mission to Southern Germany

The mission provided insights into the current state of quantum technologies for aerospace:

Quantum Sensing emerged as the most mature technology, with NV diamond magnetometers showing promise for addressing IMU drift in navigation systems without GNSS dependency – critical given vulnerabilities to jamming and spoofing. Commercial military units are expected within 5-10 years, representing the nearest-term quantum deployment in aerospace.

Quantum Computing remains largely theoretical for aerospace applications. Currently, only two quantum algorithms demonstrate proven speedup over classical systems, while tensor networks running on classical GPUs outperform existing quantum computers for most practical applications. Enormous potential exists in this domain for CFD analysis and composite material optimisation, though practical advantages remain largely unproven and need test cases for further research, which is why the quantum world is reaching out to aerospace. Testing applications for quantum computing is likely a topic that can be done within the 2026 Tech-bridge call.

Quantum Communications, particularly Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), shows relevance primarily for satellite applications rather than aircraft, with widespread commercial adoption unlikely before 2035 due to high infrastructure costs and technical complexity.

The mission also emphasised the importance of cross-border collaboration while highlighting strategic considerations around intellectual property protection and ensuring equitable value creation for all participating nations.

The German hosts on this mission included QuantumBW, Munich Quantum Valley, Bosch Quantum Sensing, TESAT, DLR’s Institute for Quantum Technologies, Ulm University, planqc, Airbus R&T Munich, and the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, alongside supporting ministries and partners. The mission was organised by the Netherlands Innovation Network Germany with support from Quantum Delta NL, bringing together Dutch quantum innovators, industry leaders, researchers, and government representatives to strengthen collaboration between German and Dutch innovation ecosystems.