Quantum Next Generation 2022 Radar Challenge | Australian Army Research Centre (AARC)

Army uses radar in a variety of ways, including mobile radar systems to detect and target land and air threats, such as enemy artillery fire, planes and tanks.

As military technology evolves and threats diversify, Army wants to know if quantum microwave sensors can enhance existing radar systems to detect smaller and weaker scattering targets that are moving faster and are further away, while emitting less power.

Quantum sensors operate completely differently to existing sensors. Finding the optimal employment technique is critical to accurately assess the advantages of quantum sensors.

2022 Challenge: Find the optimal technique for employing quantum sensors in radar.

A figure depicting the Quantum-enhanced radar concept and geometry in visual form — Figure: Quantum-enhanced radar concept and geometry

Army’s QNG Radar Challenge teams

Army’s QNG Radar Challenge teams explored the optimal sequence of radar pulses and quantum sensor configurations that could estimate the range, velocity, and cross-section of target objects with highest precision within a given amount of time and radar power.

Teams required an intermediate knowledge of programming and data analysis. Possible solutions might involve the application of machine learning techniques.

Teams required an intermediate knowledge of programming, data analysis and the application of machine learning techniques.

The solutions pitched by teams helped Army conduct an initial assessment of the advantages offered by quantum-enhanced radar, helping to frame future opportunities to develop the technology.

Army’s (QNG Radar Challenge was open to undergraduate and postgraduate students and early career researchers (within 6 years of higher degree award) associated with Australian institutions, and current Defence personnel or APS members.

Each team had access to a simulation of quantum radar mechanics. Teams devised a technique to accurately estimate a target’s velocity, distance and size within an allowed detection time through adaptively defining configurations of radar emission pulses and quantum sensor detections.

Teams implemented their technique as software and demonstrated its application using the radar simulator.

The teams that provided the most accurate results for a suite of test targets were invited to pitch their solution at the Australian Institute of Physics Congress.

2022 Challenge details

The 2022 Challenge has concluded, however the documents and resources to complete the Challenge and test your solution are still available to access (see below).

To begin creating your solution you will need to download the python package. This will allow you to quickly get started with the simulator so you can work on developing your solution. API documentation is available for those who are interested, in particular for those who are not working in python.

Using the development simulator, you will be given the target. Work to develop a technique that gets as close as possible to that target. The python package gives you access to a set of example radar targets. You can trial your solution using these example targets as many times as you like and the results from the simulator will be returned to you immediately.

Using the testing simulator, you will not be given the target. Here you can test your technique and solution to produce an estimate of a target. The python package gives you access to a set of unknown radar targets, you will be expected to build a result that is the estimate of each of the test targets and the configuration of the radar used to produce those estimates.

We welcome your solutions if you wish to share them with us. Please email us from our contact form.