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.
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.
Progress is being made in protecting U.S. satellites from the dangerous aftereffects of nuclear detonations, according to James Tegnelia, director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). When a nuclear weapon goes off above Earth's atmosphere, high-energy electrons become trapped in the Earth's magnetic belts and can remain in orbit for up to a year. As satellites in low-Earth orbit pass through this environment, they receive repeated high doses of radiation that can overwhelm their systems.
The U.S. Air Force is studying the alternative of performing a service life extension program (SLEP) on already-built Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft that have yet to launch. The study is part of the Nunn-McCurdy review process on the overbudget National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS).
