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.
Lockheed Martin's Naval Electronic&Surveillance Systems (NE&SS) is being awarded a $420 million cost-plus-award-fee contract to continue work on the S-Band radar for the Sea-based Midcourse (SMD) missile defense system, the Navy announced Feb. 19. Lockheed Martin originally won a contract to develop S-band radar systems for sea-based missile defense in 1999. The new award represents the transition of that contract into a standard FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) contract.
The demarcation line between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) will continue to blur as the Department of Defense's requirements for autonomous systems evolve, according to Mike Heinz, head of Boeing's Unmanned Systems unit.
The X-45B model of the Air Force's Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) will be substantially larger than the X-45A demonstrator, necessitating changes in planned transport procedures and logistics, according to Program Manager Col. Mike Leahy. The size change is the result of better aerodynamics modeling, increased size and weight of expected weapons, and lessons learned from the X-45A design and ongoing demonstrations. The X-45B will be the same size as the eventual operational UCAV.
