The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded 17 research grants to U.S. and international participants as part of the lab’s tech accelerator program with a focus on quantum-based communications, computing, sensing and timing.

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) said Monday it downselected the awardees for the Million Dollar International Quantum U Tech Accelerator during a three-day “virtual pitch” event that took place from Sept. 1st to 3rd. 

AFOSR received white papers from 22 countries and selected 36 proposers to present their concepts during the event before choosing the 17 finalists eligible to apply for $75,000 in seedling grants to cover a one-year period.

Shery Welsh, director of AFOSR, said the tech accelerator serves as entry point for identifying researchers seeking to address issues beyond traditional quantum information science.

“AFOSR has a long history of collaborating with academia and industry on breakthrough science critical to the future of the Air Force and Space Force capabilities,” she noted.

Funding for the accelerator effort will be shouldered by AFOSR and the Office of Naval Research as well as the New York State Technology Enterprise Corp., Griffiss Institute and SUNY Research Foundation. 

AFOSR opened the window for applications on Aug.4 .

Col. Samuel Edwards, director of the U.S. Army’s Robotics Requirements Division, said the service is relying on cloud and artificial intelligence to support a network envisioned to manage small-drone operations, FedScoop reported Monday.

Edwards told the publication that the Army plans to establish an AI-enabled Universal Robotic Controller Application (URCA) for managing small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and ingesting UAS-collected data by 2024.

The cloud-based URCA will have edge-level computing elements and feature an open-architecture framework to “bring in any capacity that we need,” he noted.

“You got this constant umbrella of sensors that are around you and working together and reconnecting back through this AI cloud,” said Edwards. “That is kind of what we talk about and what we mean when we use the words autonomous and AI.”

Matthew Borowski, technical project manager for sUAS at the Defense Innovation Unit, told the publication in September 2020 that warfighters were “left with no options at all” after the U.S. government blacklisted Chinese UAS manufacturer DJI in 2017.

The Army has since worked with companies like drone software maker Auterion to address UAS interoperability issues, according to FedScoop.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has begun reviewing applications for its three-year, $100 million initiative focused on providing telehealth support for low-income individuals and veterans.

FCC said Monday that it is now slated to conclude the voting process for the Connected Care Pilot Program after closing applications for the initiative on Dec. 7th.

The agency will use the Universal Service Fund to shoulder 85 percent of eligible broadband connectivity costs, network equipment and information support for designated patient populations. Medical equipment and end-user devices will not be covered by program obligations.

Brendan Carr, commissioner of the FCC, said he has been working with agency colleagues and stakeholders to provide connected care over the past two years. He noted that he is grateful for FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for launching the effort to identify potential participants for the pilot effort.

“During the coronavirus pandemic, the benefits of these telehealth services and the offering of care at a distance have been brought into even sharper focus,” said Carr. “I look forward to the full Commission taking prompt action and to the selected projects getting underway.”

The 53rd Wing has consolidated its series of large-scale tests into a new event called the “Black Flag” at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the AirForceTimes reported on Monday. 

Black Flag is being designed to build capability for the Air Force and act as the equivalent to the service branch’s “Red Flag” training exercise testing that builds readiness. 

“Black Flag is essential to national defense,” said Col. Ryan Messer, 53rd Wing commander. “Instituting a Flag-level exercise is the result of both the dedication of professionals in the 53rd Wing and also the support of senior leaders who acknowledge the importance of, and are investing in, testing like we fight.”

Air Combat Command (ACC) head Gen. Mark Kelly said the Black Flag testing will allow Combat Air Forces to discover new capabilities and ways for fighters, bombers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance aircrafts to collaborate effectively by focusing on  operational test and tactics development that accurately simulates massed forces in a high-threat environment. 

“Black Flag accelerates months of work and combines it into a high-end, large force testing event,” Kelly said. “Because combat is large force employment, the test must also include large force employment.”