DARPA, AFRL Select Rockwell Collins for QNT: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force Research Lab have awarded Rockwell Collins the second phase of the Quint Networking Technology program, valued at $19 million. Defense officials expect the QNT program to develop a robust and affordable mini networked data link technology for precision strike against time-critical mobile targets. It could be used on a variety of weapons, including tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, and by ground troops.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.