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 U.S. Air Force's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab (UAVB) has tested software that can pick desired features out of UAV video long before they become visible to the naked eye, according to Lt. Col. Timothy Cook, chief of the UAVB's Combat Applications Division. Based at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., the UAVB's mandate is to take existing hardware and weapons and integrate them with UAVs. The recognition software originally was developed for the Nevada gaming industry, to automatically spot problem gamblers when they enter casinos, Cook said.
The first guided weapon drop from Boeing's X-45A unmanned combat air vehicle prototype is expected within the next two weeks, according to Mike Francis, director of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program office. Originally scheduled for the weekend of April 4, bad weather over the test range at China Lake, Calif., combined with other pressing priorities, have pushed the drop back, according to Francis. The X-45A conducted its first drop of an unguided inert Small Smart Bomb late last month (DAILY, March 26).
NASA is preparing to relieve the Expedition 8 crew onboard the International Space Station (ISS) later this month, while managers on the ground mull a suggestion from the Russians that station missions be extended from six months up to a year. NASA and Russia are performing a joint analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of year-long missions that should be complete in the next few weeks, according to ISS Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier.
