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.
Early analysis indicates that a communications failure between the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile and its hit-to-kill (HTK) seeker may have been what caused it to miss a Hera theater ballistic missile target during a July 9 test (DAILY, July 10). According to Col. John Urias of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), a communications multiplexer responsible for communicating between the guidance processing unit and the HTK seeker is the most likely culprit.
Miniature flying saucers could become a common sight on the battlefield of the future, if the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has its way. DARPA's Organic Air Vehicle (OAV) program is aimed at creating relatively small, autonomous drones capable of surveying hostile forces, keeping silent watch over key areas, or relaying communications (DAILY, July 9).
While expressing guarded support for missile defense, several Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee challenged Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz on key points of the Bush Administration's accelerated test plans and their possible impact on the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty. Ranking Minority Member Ike Skelton (D-Missouri) opened the July 19 hearing by saying that the Administration's proposed $3 billion increase in missile defense funding would pay the salary of the entire enlisted Marine Corps for a year.
