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.
Coming off this summer's "weight summit," the RAH-66 Comanche program is taking steps to shed 200 pounds by the end of the year, which would bring the projected weight of the reconnaissance/attack helicopter under its target of 9,950 pounds.
After being cut from the Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) competition earlier this year, Sikorsky Aircraft now has joined Northrop Grumman's UCAR team, Northrop Grumman announced Oct. 7. Managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the $500 million UCAR program is attempting to develop a highly autonomous unmanned combat helicopter that can work in groups, engage in close combat at the nap of the Earth, and work seamlessly with other manned and unmanned Army systems.
Contractor proposals to build the Joint Common Missile (JCM) are due to the U.S. Army Nov. 17, with the award of a contract to build 54,000 units expected at the end of the first quarter of next year.
