STV Group and Post-Quantum have achieved a major milestone in defence innovation by successfully testing the world’s first quantum-resilient drones. This breakthrough marks a significant advancement in securing unmanned systems against future cyber threats, particularly those posed by quantum computing.
As modern warfare increasingly relies on drones and autonomous systems, ensuring secure communication between drones and their operators has become critically important. Therefore, this collaboration focuses on futureproofing drone communication systems so they remain secure even as quantum computing evolves. Notably, drones deployed today may remain operational for years, making it essential to embed encryption that can withstand both classical and quantum-based attacks.
To address this challenge, the partnership integrates STV’s combat-proven unmanned platforms with Post-Quantum’s advanced cryptographic technologies. The companies recently conducted successful trials at STV’s weapons testing facility in the Czech Republic. Importantly, STV Group is among the few organizations capable of deploying drone systems directly into operational environments without requiring additional certification.
Furthermore, the collaboration introduces two groundbreaking innovations. First, it delivers a quantum-resilient drone architecture specifically designed for contested environments. Second, it achieves the first airborne deployment of the Classic McEliece cryptographic algorithm, a highly trusted post-quantum encryption method previously considered impractical for complex communication conditions.
In today’s defence landscape, drones play a vital role in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and electronic warfare operations. However, these systems often operate in challenging conditions, including GPS denial, signal interference, and limited communication environments. As a result, ensuring secure and uninterrupted data transmission has become a top priority.
At the same time, governments are increasingly concerned about “harvest now, decrypt later” threats, where adversaries collect encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it in the future using quantum computers. Consequently, adopting quantum-resistant encryption has become an urgent requirement.
The integration of Classic McEliece addresses this concern effectively. Known for its long-standing security track record, the algorithm ensures that sensitive data such as video feeds, imagery, and flight metadata remain protected throughout mission lifecycles.
Commenting on the achievement, JUDr. Pavel Kudrhalt, Chief Executive Officer of STV Group, said:
“STV’s unmanned platforms operate daily in Ukraine, where drone communications are among the most contested in the world. In this environment, communications security is no longer an afterthought – the risk of an adversary intercepting or even seizing control of a drone swarm is simply unacceptable. By integrating Classic McEliece into our operational stack, we are giving our customers the strongest available future-proof cryptography, engineered for the realities of the battlefield and ready for immediate deployment.”
Rikky Hasan, Chief Executive Officer of Post-Quantum, added:
“Classic McEliece’s large key size has long been considered too large for real world deployments, especially for airborne platforms operating in DDIL environments. We have proven that assumption wrong. Its tiny ciphertexts and ultra-fast encryption, combined with our experience in government-grade radio communications and electronic warfare, make it the ideal choice for protecting drone ISR against both classical and quantum attacks. This partnership is about more than cryptography – it is about delivering a complete sovereign unmanned operations system, with quantum-resilient security built in as standard.”
Overall, this development signals a transformative shift in defence cybersecurity. By combining advanced encryption with real-world deployment capabilities, STV and Post-Quantum are setting new standards for secure drone operations in the quantum era.
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