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.
Bell Helicopter's Eagle Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) eventually may be deployed on the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as a follow-on to the Fire Scout UAV, according to Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Jay Cohen. "As we're going forward with the Littoral Combat Ship, we [need] an appropriate device to go ahead and give us the reach, the weapons-carrying capability, the sensor implantation, etc.," Cohen said at Shephard's UAV USA conference in Arlington, Va., Dec. 5. "The initial choice, I believe, will be the Fire Scout."
The U.S. Navy plans to use the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Wasp micro air vehicle (MAV) to conduct littoral surveillance, according to DARPA Director Tony Tether. Wasp is the first in a series of small UAVs intended to demonstrate improved performance through the use of multifunctional materials, according to DARPA. Built by AeroVironment, Inc. of Monrovia, Calif., it features a flying-wing design with the battery integrated in the 13-inch wing.
US101 SELECTS GE TO PROVIDE ENGINE FOR PRESIDENTIAL HELO CANDIDATE - The industry team behind the US101 helicopter has chosen General Electric Aircraft Engines to provide the engine for the team's candidate in the VXX presidential helicopter competition. Lockheed Martin, AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter are jointly marketing the medium-lift US101 as a presidential helicopter replacement and for military missions such as combat search and rescue. Its competitor in the VXX competition is Sikorsky's S-92, which recently won the Collier Trophy.
