IonQ (IONQ) and Heven AeroTech have announced a new plan to bring quantum tools to long-range drones. The two firms aim to place quantum compute gear, quantum links, quantum sense units, and quantum guard tools in Heven’s hydrogen flight craft. The goal is to help these crafts work more easily and with greater confidence on sites without GPS.
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Heven builds flight craft powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The firm’s key model can fly up to 600 miles and stay in the air for more than ten hours. These flight times give the crafts enough time to conduct long fieldwork. Now the firm will link its craft with IonQ’s new tech. As a result, the two firms want to help crews keep steady links, plan smart routes, and fuse key field views with more speed.
Meanwhile, IONQ shares shot up by more than 12% on Monday, closing at $46.76.
What Each Firm Brings to the Deal
As clarified by IonQ itself, the company seeks to use its quantum tools for more real-world use. The firm also aims to scale its core tech, aiming to reach 2 million qubits by 2030. Its gear has hit a high mark of 99.99% two-qubit gate skill, and the firm has won four U.S. Air Force Research Lab deals at roughly $100 million each from 2022 to 2025. These deals help the firm grow its role in safe links, field-sense work, and computing tests.
Heven gains more tools for field craft that must deal with site risk or link stress. The firm wants to add new quantum link guard tools that help keep drone-to-drone chats safe. The two firms will also test Quantum Sense gear with new ways to help a craft stay on course when GPS is cut. In turn, fleet chiefs may use quantum computing tools to pick smart routes or blend drone and sky data in real time.
As part of the plan, IonQ’s head of quantum link and sense work will join the Heven board. The move ties the two firms more closely and adds more expertise to Heven as it grows in the field and flight tech space.
Is IONQ Stock a Buy?
On the Street, IonQ holds a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The average IONQ stock price target stands at $76.11, implying a 62.77% upside from the current price.
