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 began brainstorming ideas for its upcoming Centennial Challenges aerospace prizes with industry representatives during a meeting in Washington June 15, in anticipation of announcing the first prizes later this year. Modeled on successful 19th century navigation prizes and early 20th century aviation prizes, the Centennial Challenges program is aimed at stimulating industry to produce breakthroughs in technologies that would support NASA's new vision for space exploration. The agency is requesting $20 million for the program in fiscal year 2005.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Organic Air Vehicle (OAV) program is preparing to draw to a close with an upcoming demonstration to the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Ga., according to prime contractor Honeywell. The OAV is an autonomous ducted fan vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle designed to provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition for small units in the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS). Happening soon
In July, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) plans to perform a demonstration in which the Silver Fox unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) will work together to classify ships. The UAV will be the Silver Fox, conceived by ONR and built by Advanced Ceramics Research of Tucson, Ariz. NAVSEA is providing the 42-foot-long Power Vent USV for the demo, which will be outfitted with radar and a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera.
