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 NOTAR (no tail rotor) design of MD Helicopters' Explorer differentiates it from the competition in the Army's Light Utility Helicopter procurement, according to company officials. The lack of a tail rotor will make the aircraft safer for soldiers to operate around and easier to maintain, according to MDHI Chief Technical Officer Andy Logan. Twenty-five percent of helicopter accidents are related to tail rotors, the company says.
The U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program is preparing for its operational assessment in January 2006 as it continues adjusting to the budget cut levied against it in the Pentagon's December 2004 program budget decision. The PBD cut $1.5 billion from the EFV program through 2011, according to Col. Mike Brogan, the Marine Corps' EFV program manager. The production quantity over that time was reduced from 461 vehicles to 208 vehicles, he said, although the cut vehicles will be produced later in the schedule.
A rollover problem with the U.S. Army's Stryker vehicle that caused two fatal accidents last year has been solved through better driver training, according to Col. Peter Fuller, the Army's Stryker Brigade Combat Team program manager. For protection against rocket-propelled grenades, Stryker vehicles in Iraq are equipped with slat armor that extends roughly one and a half feet from each side of the vehicle. Because of the extra width, Stryker drivers often have to swerve off roads to give other vehicles room to pass.
