John Lockard, Integrated Defense Systems chief operating officer, is overseeing initiatives to vastly improve productivity and reduce cost to remain competitive in a changing defense climate. He shared his thoughts with Boeing Frontiers.
By melding the best features of a conventional helicopter and a turboprop aircraft, the V-22 Osprey will change the way the U.S. Air Force accomplishes Special Operations missions. That's a major task, since inserting and extracting special operators into sensitive areas remains one of the most dangerous aviation missions.
Employees on the Chinook team have worked to significantly modernize the aircraft with new mission equipment, enhanced capabilities and improved safety features. The U.S. Army validated these efforts last year by agreeing to a multiyear contract for about 200 more of these helicopters.