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.
NASA announced Feb. 7 that it has awarded a $936 million modification to Boeing's prime contract for the International Space Station (ISS), extending the company's integration and operations (I&O) work another year. The modification is a "formality," according to NASA Spokesman Kyle Herring, and represents funds that were already contained in budget runouts through 2003. "It's work that was [already] planned, but the contract ran through Dec. 31 of '02, and this basically extends that work out through the end of '03," Herring said.
Ongoing operations in Afghanistan underscore the U.S. military's need for the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, according to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) commander Lt. Gen. Paul Hester. "Once again, basing restrictions [and] terrain elevations [have highlighted] our need for the capability of an aircraft like the CV-22," Hester said, speaking at the National Defense Industrial Association's 13th annual Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict symposium in Crystal City, VA. Feb. 7. "We need the technology that this platform offers."
If it fails to transform itself, the U.S. aviation industry will "face the very real prospects of near-term gridlock, constrained mobility, unrealized economic growth, and the continued erosion of U.S. aviation leadership," according to a NASA report. NASA's aeronautics "blueprint," released Feb. 5, outlines four critical challenges facing the U.S. aviation industry: capacity; noise/emissions; security and safety; and dwindling research and development funding.
