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 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen Northrop Grumman to design an experimental supersonic flying wing aircraft capable of varying the sweep of its wing to maximize aerodynamic efficiency in different flight regimes. DARPA awarded the company a $10.3 million contract on March 16 for the 20-month first phase of the Oblique Flying Wing (OFW) program. The second phase of the program is planned to culminate in flight-tests of the first-ever supersonic tailless OFW aircraft in 2010 or 2011.
NASA is conducting tests to make sure that handrails on the exterior of the U.S. portion of the International Space Station (ISS) are strong enough to support astronaut safety tethers and various payloads that may be attached to them during station assembly. Until the issue is resolved, ISS astronauts are forbidden from conducting spacewalks from the U.S. segment of the station, according to ISS Deputy Program Manager Kirk Shireman.
The new request for proposals (RFP) for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) is largely the same as the draft RFP for the Future Cargo Aircraft (FCA) released by the Army last year prior to the Air Force coming onboard the program, according to competitor Raytheon. "It looks very much like the draft," said Jim Hvizd, Raytheon's Team JCA vice president. "The Army and Air Force have clearly collaborated in a positive way. The order quantities, most of the contractual terms and conditions ... have remained pretty much the same."
