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.
Facing a flat worldwide launch market and limited space budgets among European governments, the Space Systems division of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) is bracing itself for further consolidation while at the same time seeking new strategic partnerships with the U.S.
The General Accounting Office (GAO) criticizes the U.S. Defense Department's new space acquisition policy in a new report, saying the policy will increase program risk by having technology development and product development take place simultaneously. DOD's new space acquisition policy is similar to the one used by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), according to the GAO, and differs from DOD's acquisition policy on most other weapons-related acquisitions in several ways:
Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin have added Pratt & Whitney to their Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) team, in anticipation of building the first two flight demonstrators scheduled to fly in February 2006. The Northrop Grumman team and competitor Boeing each will produce two full-scale unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrators for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under phase IIB of the naval UCAV technology demonstration program that preceded the J-UCAS effort.
