Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
NASA's Constellation program, which includes the Ares rockets and Orion spacecraft design to return astronauts to the moon, is in the midst of a system requirements review (SRR) that should be complete by the end of November, according to agency officials.
Moving to a collaborative digital design process has helped reduce scrap and rework rates for structural parts an estimated 40-50 percent on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program as compared to previous efforts, according to Lockheed Martin JSF Program Deputy Mike Walters. The multinational fighter program, which is still in its system design and development (SDD) phase, currently has more than 1,000 suppliers. That number will continue to expand globally as the program ramps up into full-rate production during the next decade.
As expected, Northrop Grumman has formally announced its intention to propose a maritime variant of its U.S. Air Force Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the U.S. Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program next year.
