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.
Within the next two months the Navy is expected to award full-rate production contracts to Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky for 12 MH-60R helicopters. The MH-60R will replace the Navy's aging SH-60B and SH-60F helicopters, which currently share the submarine-hunter and surface-attack roles. Sikorsky provides the helicopter while Lockheed Martin performs system integration.
Members of a House Armed Services subcommittee questioned the realism of the Navy's shipbuilding plans during a hearing in Washington on March 30, with Chairman Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) saying that the Navy is running a "high risk" of not being able to reach its goal of a 313-ship fleet. While members of the Projection Forces subcommittee expressed support for the 313-ship level, "the probability of us getting there is somewhere between red line and high risk," Bartlett said.
RIDLEY PARK, Pa. -- Egypt is likely to be the first customer for the Cargo Helicopter Alternate Procurement Strategy (CHAPS) program, according to manufacturer Boeing. Egypt currently has a fleet of 17 CH-47D Chinook helicopters, which the country would like to round out to 22-24 aircraft to have two full squadrons, according to Bob Sobey, Boeing's deputy director for Chinook programs. Through CHAPS, "the D-model that we would sell them is an exact match for what they're currently flying," Sobey told The DAILY on March 31.
