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.
The Army National Guard has cut its aircraft fleet from 2,000 to 1,800 airframes during 2001 and has plans to cut the remaining fleet another one-third by 2007, according to National Guard Bureau Vice Chief Maj. Gen. Raymond Rees. "That 1,800 is going to go down to around 1,200 airframes, all of which will be modernized - no legacy systems left in the Guard," said Rees, speaking at an Army aviation symposium in Falls Church, Va. Jan. 8.
Congress cut the budget for the Army's Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) program by $27 million, according to the fiscal 2002 defense appropriations bill, which Congress approved last month. Built by AAI Corp., the Shadow 200 TUAV is aimed at enabling Army tactical commanders to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, and battle damage assessment to an objective range of 200 kilometers.
The Dec. 30 crash of an Air Force Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during routine operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom shouldn't have any adverse effect on the program, according to some military analysts. John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, said he believes the crash, while embarrassing, will "probably not" result in any programmatic changes. "I think that Global Hawk is basically early enough in the program that you would expect the problems that they have been having," Pike told The DAILY.
