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.
As the Pentagon increasingly pivots its focus to strategic competition with China, the U.S. will look to expand its partnership with South Korea to increase security across the entire Indo-Pacific region, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Dec. 2 during a visit to the northeastern Asian nation.