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.
Later this month, Raytheon and XM will demonstrate how satellite radio can provide tailored alerts to military troops as part of the Defense Department's Joint Blue Force Situational Awareness (JBFSA) program.
The Unmanned Little Bird helicopter will deploy to Iraq early next year to provide communications relay for members of the 101st Airborne Division, according to manufacturer Boeing. The deployment follows a series of successful demonstrations at Fort Campbell, K.Y., in which the helicopter kept members of the 101st in touch as they maneuvered through simulated urban terrain. The Little Bird assumes the role of a communications satellite, because orbital satellites often are difficult for soldiers to communicate with from urban areas.
The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program is seeking additional funding from its overseeing agencies to try to stay on schedule for a first launch in November 2009, following a series of delays with a prototype demonstration satellite that have exhausted the program's budget reserves.
