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 Army and Boeing/SAIC, the Future Combat Systems' lead systems integrator, have released the final request for proposals for the active protection system to protect manned FCS ground vehicles from attack. The APS is intended to counteract incoming threats such as rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and missiles, providing a lighter and more effective alternative to traditional slat armor. Proposals are due in October, and the Army plans to select a prime contractor in the first quarter of next year.
EADS NORTH AMERICA ANNOUNCES LUH BID WITH UH145 - EADS North America formally announced its offering of the UH145 for the Army's Light Utility Helicopter competition on Aug. 24, marking the company's first effort to become a prime contractor on a major U.S. military procurement, said Chairman and CEO Ralph Crosby. Becoming a sole prime for the U.S. Defense Department is "something that we set out to do three years ago when EADS North America was established," Crosby said during a teleconference Aug. 24.
With the Mars Exploration Rover "Spirit" finally perched atop the summit of Husband Hill in Mars' Gusev Crater region, mission planners are taking measurements of the surrounding area to develop a route and schedule for descending the other side. Spirit's slow climb has taken well more than a year, bringing the golf cart-sized rover to a point 106 meters (348 feet) higher than the area where it first landed in January 2004.
