Skunk Works, Ben R. Rich

 

Lockheed aviation are renown for their aircraft the P38 fighter of world war 2 through to the F104 Starfighter and C5 Galaxy of the Cold War. 

In their Palmdale California plant there’s a secret section they call Skunk Works, A team of highly skilled engineers work on secret projects. 

In the early years of the Cold War there was a growing concern of a bomber gap between the U.S.A and Soviet Russia. The media claimed that politicians had let the U.S slip behind in the strategic arms race. The CIA were desperate to know and commissioned Lockheed to design and build a high altitude spy aircraft to penetrate Soviet defences and find out the facts this was the U2 program and the early years of the Skunk works. 

Started by Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson genius aircraft designer and leading light in Lockheed this department would go on to create some of the most advanced designs in the second half of the twentieth century. The for mentioned U2 spy plane, the A12/SR71 high speed spy plane and later the stealth fighter F117 out of the Have Blue project.

Their author Ben Rich was ‘Kelly’s’ prodigy and later went on to become chief designer in Lockheeds Skunk works becoming a major force in stealth technology.

If you have an interest in twentieth century aviation this is a must read the pressure to develop projects in secret and on time was tough and the team put in place to do it we’re cutting edge. The book explains everything during that time a good read sometimes technical but easy to follow!