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.
Tow tests of the Air Force Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) prototype have recently been completed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. and the system is on track for a first flight in late fall of this year, according to program manager Col. Michael Leahy. "We're on the path now to complete a second set of engine runs with our vectoring nozzle, [and] we're getting ready to do combined system tests," said Leahy, speaking at an unmanned vehicle symposium here.
The Navy is considering purchasing the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle to supplement its aging fleet of P-3 surveillance aircraft, according to Capt. Rand LeBouvier, speaking at an unmanned vehicle conference in Baltimore, Md. August 1. He said one possible application for Global Hawk would be "as an adjunct to the multi-mission maritime aircraft investigation that's going on now, to determine what the replacement for P-3 will be." Global Hawk would not replace the P-3, he emphasized, but might instead fly with existing squadrons.
NASA is planning to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for several missions that are tailor-made to take advantage of UAV capabilities - including plans to fly multiple UAVs into a hurricane. UAVs can help fill gaps in NASA's meteorological knowledge by making observations that are impossible for either remote sensing satellites or manned aircraft.
