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. Army is developing a requirement for a Humvee-mounted laser system capable of destroying unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines from a safe distance, according to Darryl Hancock, laser technician for the Zeus system. Zeus-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutraliza-tion System) is a solid-state laser system with a range of approximately 200 meters (219 yards). The 1000-watt laser focuses energy on the outer casing of the mine or unexploded munition, heating it until it's destroyed by internal combustion.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Northrop Grumman is awaiting formal approval from the U.S. Army to produce 33 Viper Strike munitions for deployment to Iraq, according to a company official. "The Army's in the process right now of completing the operational needs statement" for the deployment, Northrop Grumman Viper Strike Director John Miller said at a March 4 briefing at the Association of the United States Army's winter symposium here. General Richard Cody, the Army's deputy chief of staff, G-3, is expected to sign the statement "any day now," Miller said.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Several technologies that were under development for the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter are likely to find a home in the Block III AH-64D Apache Longbow, according to contractors working on both programs. The Army and Boeing, the Apache manufacturer, will jointly determine which Comanche technologies will transition over, according to Al Winn, vice president for Apache programs at Boeing.
