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.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has narrowed the focus of its counter-IED work to technologies that stop the devices before they are even placed in the ground, according to Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. William Landay. Last year ONR embarked on a broad effort to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which remain the number one cause of U.S. casualties overseas. Navy officials likened the effort to the Manhattan Project that created the atomic bomb (DAILY, July 29, 2005).
An international coalition of helicopter operators, manufacturers and industry groups have joined forces with the FAA and other air traffic regulators from around the world to spearhead a new safety push aimed at cutting the helicopter accident rate by 80 percent over the next decade.
Fledgling commercial launch provider Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is applying the lessons learned from the March failure of the first Falcon 1 rocket to the ongoing development of the EELV-class Falcon 9 follow-on, according to SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk The Falcon 1 failure was attributed to a cracked aluminum B-nut on the outside of the rocket that corroded from exposure to the sea air during months of launch delays. The nut cracked at liftoff, allowing fuel to leak and start a fire.
