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.
Robot manufacturer iRobot is negotiating with potential industry partners about jointly developing and offering to the services an armed version of the company's PackBot in response to requests from U.S. troops overseas.
NASA's largest labor union is calling on the agency to publicly promise not to lay off any employees and abandon the work force strategy under which it is trying to eliminate "excess capacity" at its field centers. NASA says it has identified roughly 1,000 full-time equivalent positions at its centers for which it currently has no productive work supporting the agency's vision for space exploration. This translates to more than 800 employees who could face layoffs if the agency is unable to switch them to other programs.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has chosen to postpone the expected downselect between the two industry teams competing in its Organic Air Vehicle II (OAV-II) program and is funding both to proceed into Phase III of the effort.
