Sponsored by:
Posted on 02/23/2015 4:09:45 PM PST by ckilmer
FedBiz Daily 
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is one program that emerged from Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Skunk Works, which has pulled back the curtain in an effort to attract talent and get credit for contributions to defense and aerospace.
15 photos
Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Advanced Development Programs group, better known as Skunk Works, has been ultra-secretive for decades. But it's undergoing a cultural shift, with its chief pulling back the curtain in an attempt to attract top talent.
That's clear from a look at the Lockheed (NYSE: LMT) website Monday, which now features a splashy rundown of Skunk Works' approach, accomplishments and opportunities. That never would've happened a year ago.
Of course, this isn't to say Rob Weiss, Skunk Works' executive vice president and general manager, is opening up about the group's portfolio of projects. In all, about 80 percent of the group's work is classified, he told me during Lockheed's media day last week. But he's excited to talk about the other 20 percent and about how Skunk Works functions.
"You probably are aware that we often don't speak publicly," he said. "But since I've been in the job I felt it was important to communicate our message to remind the general public and national leaders that the Skunk Works has a clear vision for the future. That's why we're talking today and have been for a while now."
Indeed, you might call this a marketing plan.
"We want to point out to the young women and men graduating from colleges and universities, that Skunk Works is a great place to come work on the most innovative defense and aerospace initiatives in the country," Weiss added.
Looking backward, the Pentagon has Skunk Works to thank for the the U2 high-altitude surveillance airplane, the SR-71 Blackbird long-range reconnaissance aircraft and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth ground-attack aircraft. And then there's the stealth fighters F-22 and F-35, of course, both of which emerged from Skunk Works (The group takes its name from when, during its infancy in the 1940s, it worked out of a rented circus tent next to a manufacturing plant that produced a strong odor. Early staffers adopted the name "Skonk Works," a secretive and malodorous place from the popular comic "Li'l Abner." Staffers later changed it to Skunk Works.).
As for what's next, Weiss pointed to the group's efforts over the last five years to develop a new design for the Air Force's Trainer-X program, which I reported about last week. Also, he noted advances in stealth, sensors and open architecture designs. Some of that will be retrofitted into the F-22 and F-35. But some developments will also contribute to the next fighter that will follow those fifth-generation aircraft.
Yes, those developments for a F-35 replacement are already underway.
"There will be a time in the future where a new platform will come online," Weiss said. "And we're very much involved in that next generation as well. It requires being in the gray area if you will; it's not an F-35 or F-22 forever. But you have to look at where the threat is taking us, where technology is, and how it's maturing, and then make decisions along the way."
The long-range strike bomber is among the classified programs Skunk Works supports. Weiss provided few details, but did point to the advantages that come from the partnership between The Boeing Co. and Lockheed.
"Strong prime contractors coming together as a team is what's been key to developing those programs, [offering] complementary technologies, and the financial wherewithal to invest and support those kinds of programs," Weiss said. "Boeing leverages the commercial work they've done over the years, and Lockheed can leverage the F-35 work."
So yes, I can see why Lockheed is opening up in order to try to sell the cool factor to the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Here’s why Lockheed is pulling the curtain back on Skunk Works
Obama is planning to sell them to China ?
They want $900,000 for that house?
LOL!
Is the second picture down their new facility?
Single car garage???
I just love the name Skunk Works !!!
BTW, skunk is a great word to use when playing hang man.
For the same reason we would let ISIS know when we withdraw from Iraq or when an attack starts? You know, you “sink a ship” or two with loose lips and then you give the world some BS excuse as a cover story for the REAL evil being perpetrated.
Now they have to sell these overpriced losers.
skunk works ping
Kelly Johnson is spinning in his grave. The Skunk Works is just a name and memory these days.
The F-35 must be a “Skunk” Works project because it stinks to high heaven.
I doubt that today’s Lockheed would hire Kelly Johnson or any of the Skunk Works engineers. They’d never get past the mega coporate H.R. dept.
The real story of how he assembled that world class unit must be a helluva story. Somehow I don’t think the classified ads entered the picture.
Nor job fairs.
Not only were the designs amazing but the speed of delivering working prototypes and inventing the necessary
exotic tooling... And no modern computers.
A vanished breed.
Jill R. Aitoro,
Senior Staff Reporter- Washington Business Journal...
Guilty!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled article.
This is the third interesting story I’ve seen out of Lockheed’s skunkworks in the last year.
The first was the development of a desalination membrane they’ve trademarked perforene. This will collapse the need for energy for desalination—which represents roughly 1/3 of the costs of desalination. The membrane needs more work. So they need more smart young engineers to do the job.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/2350985-lockheed-martins-newest-innovation-isnt-what-you-expect
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/ms2/documents/Perforene-datasheet.pdf
The second big announcement from the skunkworks was that the skunkworks was working on a nuclear fusion device that they hope to have prototyped in 5 years. That’s going to need more young guns to do the grunt work.
http://aviationweek.com/technology/skunk-works-reveals-compact-fusion-reactor-details
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/compact-fusion.html
The big technological revolutions that will make the 21st century successful—and push vast treasures to their developers — involve desalination cheap enough for agriculture and energy at least 1/2-1/4 the cost of current cheapest coal.
Lockheed is aiming right. Whether they hit the mark remains to be seen.
My son is 15 and taking Honors Geometry as a freshman in high school. That’s a junior level course. He loves math and is taking an engineering path in his course selection. His goal right now is to attend CalTech or some other highly regarded engineering school. Unlike most youngsters today, he dreams of aerospace or biomedical engineering. The other day I told him all about the Skunk Works and he found it fascinating. He thought it would be cool as hell to work there. I hope he can keep the grades together for 7 more years until he can graduate from one of those engineering schools...
A lot of stuff got done using slide rules.
IMHO, do engineering but also learn business and accounting and finance. It will be relatively very easy - best way to avoid being a genius making other people with half your ability rich in exchange for peanuts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.