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.
In February the U.S. Army will receive 100 new handheld Force 21 Battle Command Brigade and Below/Blue Force Tracking (FBCB2/BFT) systems to complement the vehicle-mounted units already fielded, according to manufacturer Northrop Grumman.
A recent study chartered by NASA recommends the agency develop and operate a system to scan the skies for near-Earth objects (NEOs) less than one kilometer (.6 miles) across - objects that would not be world-killers, but which could still result in significant regional damage and spawn destructive tidal waves. Many tons of rocky material rain down on the Earth from space each day, mostly in the form of dust- and sand-sized particles. NEOs are potentially dangerous asteroids or comets whose orbits bring them close to the Earth.
In a prelude to the release of its national strategy document later this year, the Defense Department's Joint Council on Aging Aircraft (JCAA) has identified its top 12 concerns, ranging from technical issues such as corrosion to management issues such as changing the way maintainers are trained to deal with older aircraft.
