Skunk Works

Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It is responsible for a number of aircraft designs, highly classified research and development programs, and exotic aircraft platforms. Known locations include United States Air Force Plant 42 (Palmdale, California) and United States Air Force Plant 4 (Fort Worth, Texas), and Marietta, Georgia.^[1]

Skunk Works' history started with the P-38 Lightning in 1939^[2]^[3] and the P-80 Shooting Star in 1943. Skunk Works engineers subsequently developed the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lightning II, the latter being used in the air forces of several countries.

The Skunk Works name was taken from the "Skonk Oil" factory in the comic strip Li'l Abner. Derived from the Lockheed use of the term, the designation "skunk works" or "skunkworks" is now widely used in business, engineering, and technical fields to describe a group within an organization given a high degree of autonomy and unhampered by bureaucracy, with the task of working on advanced or secret projects.

^ "Marietta, Georgia - Where Legacies Begin". Lockheed Martin. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
^ Cite error: The named reference Bodie51 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Wilson1969 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[GA-1] "Marietta, Georgia - Where Legacies Begin". Lockheed Martin. Retrieved April 29, 2024.

[Bodie51-2] Cite error: The named reference Bodie51 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Wilson1969-3] Cite error: The named reference Wilson1969 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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