Quantum communication carried out with an aircraft in flight!

By Captain Bassani - ATPL/B-727/DC-10/B-767 - Former Air Accident Inspector SIA PT. captbassani@gmail.com - Nov/2025 - https://www.personalflyer.com.br

The demonstration of quantum communication using an aircraft in flight marks a strategic milestone for the future of long-range secure networks. European and American researchers have been exploring the use of entangled photons to establish communication channels that are virtually tamper-proof, relying on quantum physics to detect any interception attempt.

The aeronautical environment is an ideal testbed because it combines altitude, mobility, and distance, bringing experiments closer to the conditions required for global systems.

Teams from the University of Geneva, MIT, Caltech, Fraunhofer Institute, ESA, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and other research centers have been testing air-to-ground and air-to-satellite links to validate Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols.

These tests show that it is possible to maintain link stability even under motion, vibration, turbulence, and atmospheric fluctuations. Fine pointing capability, beam stabilization, and atmospheric-loss compensation are critical requirements, and recent results indicate that these challenges are now manageable with compact onboard systems.

From an operational perspective, organizations such as ICAO, EASA, FAA, and Skybrary highlight that future quantum-based communication systems may strengthen the protection of sensitive aeronautical data, including links between control centers, strategic aircraft, and global monitoring networks. Integrating quantum cryptography with modern avionics may also enable distributed aviation networks with intrinsic security, reducing vulnerabilities associated with cyberattacks.

The combination of real-flight conditions and quantum technology brings aviation closer to the next generation of secure communication, capable of operating at continental and, eventually, interplanetary scale. It is a step that blends advanced physics, aeronautical engineering, and forward-looking thinking to ensure resilience in a sector heavily dependent on trustworthy information.

Safe flights!

Captain Luiz Bassani

References

1. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Cybersecurity in Civil Aviation – ICAO Publications.

2. Skybrary. Cybersecurity and Emerging Communication Technologies in Aviation.

3. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Quantum Communication Experiments and Free-Space Optical Links.

4. European Space Agency (ESA). Quantum Key Distribution and Space-Based Quantum Communications.

5. University of Geneva. Quantum Communications Group – Free-Space Experiments.

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Research Laboratory of Electronics – Quantum Information Science.

7. Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering. Airborne Free-Space Quantum Communication Demonstrations.

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