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.
NORFOLK, Va. - In addition to blue force tracking technology, training is key to reducing fratricide in future conflicts, according to participants in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) attending the National Training Systems Association's conference here last week. Twenty-nine "blue on blue" fratricide events took place during OIF, according to Navy Capt. Roy Rogers, who served in the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) and currently is director of the Joint Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Program Office.
The Air Force's Global Hawk has become the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to receive a blanket certificate from the FAA authorizing high-altitude flights in any of the FAA's nine regions. Based at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the Global Hawk has previously operated under a FAA certificate of authorization (COA) that applied only to the Western-Pacific region. Each FAA region has a somewhat different COA process, and obtaining a COA can take 30-60 days.
NORFOLK, Va. - Use of the Litening II advanced targeting pod on the Marine Corps' AV-8 Harrier jets was highly successful during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Marine Corps officials attending the National Training Systems Association's Fighter Training symposium here Aug. 14. The Northrop Grumman-built pod contains a high-resolution, forward-looking infrared sensor (FLIR) that displays an infrared image of the target to the pilot, as well as a laser designator. It originally was designed for Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard F-16s.
