Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. Tony has covered avionics, unmanned vehicles, the supply chain and cyberwarfare.
LONDON—U.K. air navigation provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) CEO Richard Deakin has stepped down. Deakin, who led the company for five years, announced his resignation May 18. Martin Rolfe, the company’s managing director of operations, has been appointed to CEO in the meantime, to “ensure continuity,” the company said in a statement, adding that Deakin will be able to assist with the transition as required until the end of June. NATS said its management board has initiated a search process to identify and appoint a successor.
The 18-month DeSIRE II demonstration is being conducted by an industrial consortium led by led by Italian satellite firm Telespazio and aims to support the European standardization and regulatory activities surrounding the satellite communications-based command and control of UAVs, as EU regulators examine the requirements to allow the platforms in the same airspace as other traffic.
