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.
Although Northern Command (NORTHCOM) is preparing itself rigorously for another Sept. 11-style hijacking scenario, NORTHCOM commander Air Force Gen. Ralph "Ed" Eberhart said he is concerned about the possibility of "trigger hesitancy" on the part of pilots or air defense controllers who might have to shoot down a commercial jet.
Number one on the priority list for the U.S. Marine Corps' AV-8 Harrier fleet is the acceleration of a crucial avionics upgrade that will allow the jet to drop GPS-guided weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), according to Program Manager Col. David Heinz. Dubbed the Open Systems Core Architecture Requirement (OSCAR), the upgrade will replace the mission and stores management computers on the aircraft. The ability to drop JDAMs would allow Harriers to attack in all weather.
In a strategic move to ensure future U.S. dominance in commercial remote sensing, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) has awarded DigitalGlobe of Longmont, Colo., the $500 million NextView contract to help fund and shape the next generation of high-resolution U.S. commercial imagery satellites.
