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 U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and prime contractor Lockheed Martin are now targeting 2009 for the first "hover test" of the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV). The test will take place at the National Hover Test Facility at Edwards Air Force Base in California, according to Doug Graham, vice president for advanced programs at Lockheed Martin missile defense systems.
By the end of this year Japan will have upgraded all four of its Aegis destroyers to perform missile defense missions in anticipation of conducting its first missile defense test with the system in December, according to Aegis prime contractor Lockheed Martin.
U.S. Marines need communications alternatives for those times when satellite services are unavailable on the battlefield, according to Brig. Gen. George Allen, chief information officer for the Marine Corps. "We need to take a look at other means of low-Earth orbit things that will take care of things when we don't have the satellite available, for whatever reason," Allen said during a March 14 luncheon sponsored by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).
