WASHINGTON - Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Va., has been awarded a $25.3 million project to support the Air Force Research Laboratory’s efforts to advance quantum information science technologies for future military applications.
The award falls under AFRL’s Quantum Information Sciences Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), which seeks research and development proposals focused on quantum technologies that could provide future advantages in areas including computing, communications, sensing, and information processing.
The Booz Allen effort, identified as "Quantum-Accelerated Technology Advancement for National Advantage," is focused on advancing quantum-related capabilities through algorithms, software development, and integration approaches rather than developing a standalone military quantum computer.
Quantum on the horizon
Quantum information science remains an emerging technology area. While current quantum computers are limited in scale and reliability, researchers are exploring hybrid architectures that combine quantum processors with conventional computing resources to address complex problems that may be difficult for traditional computing approaches.
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For defense organizations, potential applications include optimization problems, advanced modeling and simulation, secure communications, sensing, and decision-support capabilities. However, many of these applications remain research areas rather than deployed operational capabilities.
AFRL’s Quantum Information Sciences BAA, managed through the laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, New York, provides a mechanism for industry, academia, and research organizations to propose innovative quantum technology concepts. The BAA uses a two-step process in which organizations first submit white papers outlining proposed research approaches, with selected applicants invited to submit full proposals.
The solicitation identified potential awards ranging from approximately $500,000 to $27 million, with a maximum ceiling of $99.9 million across the BAA. Booz Allen’s $25.3 million award represents one of the larger individual efforts supported through the program.
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The project reflects a broader DoD interest in developing emerging computing technologies that could provide advantages in future contested environments. As military systems generate increasing volumes of data from sensors, platforms, and networks, researchers are examining new computational approaches that may improve the speed and efficiency of complex analysis.
Quantum information science represents a developing market opportunity spanning computing architectures, software tools, secure communications, and specialized engineering services. While operational quantum advantage remains a long-term objective, government research programs such as AFRL’s are intended to mature the underlying technologies needed to support future defense systems.
The effort is part of a broader national push to transition quantum technologies from fundamental research toward practical applications. AFRL and other defense organizations continue to evaluate where quantum approaches may offer measurable benefits over existing computing methods.
