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.
Gary Payton, currently the Missile Defense Agency's deputy for advanced systems, will become the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for space beginning on Oct. 2. Payton will report to new Air Force Undersecretary Ronald Sega, the Defense Department's executive agent for space and the authority on all space acquisition programs. Formal approval of the nomination by the secretary of the Air Force is pending.
The Air Force considered flying a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle over the Houston area to monitor the effects of Hurricane Rita, but ultimately decided the requirement wasn't justified, according to an Air Force source.
Lead Systems Integrators Boeing and SAIC signed an undefinitized Federal Acquisition Regulation contract for the Army's Future Combat Systems program on Sept. 23, meeting their goal of switching to a more traditional contract structure by the end of the fiscal year. "We'll begin operating on the FAR-based contract as we go into FY '06," Boeing FCS Vice President and General Manager Dennis Muilenburg told The DAILY.
