The Skunk Works was an official alias for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. Shrouded in secrecy, the Skunk Works has produced some of the most sophisticated, ground breaking aircraft built and has pushed the limits of what we always thought possible. The origins of the Skunk Works can be traced back to World War II, when the Air Tactical Service Command of the Army Air Force asked Lockheed to produce a jet fighter. Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson led a group of engineers which produced the successful XP-80 in a miraculously brief 143 days. It was during this time that the program got its alias, which it borrowed from the popular Lil Abner comic strip of the day. Johnson played a key role in many of the Skunk Works projects well into the 1970s. After the war, the Skunk Works was pressed into service to produce aircraft to fight the Cold War, including the F-104, U-2 and the incomparable SR-71. More recent Skunk Works aircraft have focused on stealth technology and include the F-117 and the F-22. In 1995 Lockheed merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. The Skunk Works, now located in Palmdale, continues to operate under Lockheed Martin and has recently produced the F-35 Lightning II, a fifthgeneration, single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable fighter that performs close air support, tactical bombing, and air defense missions. For its efforts, the Skunk Works has received the prestigious Collier Trophy five times. This trophy is awarded annually by the National Aeronautic Association for "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year."
Inducted in 2009.
Portrait Location: Hall of Fame Hallway

Induction Video