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.
Nonlethal weapons and underwater mine detectors are crucial technologies needed by U.S. military forces, a Marine Corps official said Aug. 5 at the Naval-Industry R&D Partnership conference in Washington. Maj. Gen. Kevin Kuklok, assistant deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, offered industry members a short wish list of things that are "simple to talk about and not simple to do.
Time-critical strike and smaller precision weapons are among the areas where the U.S. Navy has identified gaps in current science and technology (S&T), according to Rear Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, director of the Air Warfare Division at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV).
At a July 30 meeting, the major players in the "Access Five" initiative to enable routine unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations in the national airspace agreed to move forward, despite lingering questions over the source of the necessary funding. The meeting, which took place in Washington, involved high-level representatives from NASA, the FAA, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the UNITE (UAV National Industry Team Endeavor) group, whose members are Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, AeroVironment and Aurora Flight Sciences.
