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 U.S. Air Force is shifting funds from other efforts to pay for the launch of the TacSat-2 small satellite, and hopes to have all the money in place by the end of this fiscal year, according to Undersecretary Ronald Sega. "We do have a reprogramming activity to fully fund the launch of TacSat-2," Sega told lawmakers during a hearing on the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee in Washington April 7. The TacSat series is intended to demonstrate the military's ability to launch small, "responsive" satellites quickly and at low cost.
Because of budget limitations, the U.S. Marine Corps is not producing V-22 Osprey aircraft at a fast enough rate to meet its desired goal of transitioning two squadrons of aging CH-46 and CH-53E helicopters into V-22 squadrons each year, according to Assistant Commandant Gen. Robert Magnus. The Marines plan to buy 360 V-22s total. "I've seen nothing to indicate that the number 360 is wrong," Magnus said. "What I can tell you is the rate at which we are buying them in the FYDP [five-year defense plan] is wrong. It's low."
As the program transitions to a Navy-only effort, Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) contractors Northrop Grumman and Boeing are expecting a request for proposals (RFP) later this year as a prelude to a contractor downselect.
