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 Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is working on several initiatives to upgrade the Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), including improving its sensors, endurance and communications.
The Defense Department's total spending on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in fiscal year 2006 is likely to stay at roughly the same level as FY '05, according to Dyke Weatherington, head of the Pentagon's UAV Task Force. President Bush's FY '06 budget request for DOD includes between $1.7 billion and $2 billion for UAVs, according to Weatherington. Precisely calculating the total UAV request takes time after the budget is released because the services tend to "bury" some of their UAV funding, Weatherington said.
NASA plans to develop an unmanned aircraft capable of staying airborne for 14 days as part of its High-Altitude Long-Endurance Remotely Operated Aircraft (HALE ROA) technology program, according to fiscal year 2006 budget documents.
