Page 7 - Aerotech News and Review, Feb 1, 2019 - Mission Update Edition

Skunk Works: 75 years of excellence
Air Force Plant 42
Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., is the Antelope Valley’s second largest em- ployer (after Edwards), and is a geographi- cally separated component of Edwards.
Most facilities at the plant are owned by private contractors and serve as a manu- facturing plant for aircraft used by the United States and their allies’ militaries.
Plant 42 has 3.2-million square feet of industrial space and has a replacement value of $1.1 billion. Some of the plant’s work involves production of spare parts for military aircraft, with other projects including maintenance and modification of aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit bomber and production of the Global Hawk and other unmanned craft.
Aerospace contractors at Air Force Plant 42 share a common runway com- plex and either lease building space from the Air Force (commonly referred to as GOCO, or Government Owned Contrac- tor Operated), or own their own building outright.
There are eight separate production sites suited for advanced technology and/ or “black” program projects.
Currently the most well-known con- tractors at Plant 42 are Boeing, Lockheed Martin (home of the legendary Skunk Works), and Northrop Grumman.
by Alisha Semchuck
staff writer
Whether in the air or on the ground, Lockheed- Martin Corporation leads the global village in tech- nological advances involving the aerospace and se- curity fields. At Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® much of that effort focuses on projects for NASA and the military.
Lockheed’s corporate mission is to “solve com- plex challenges, advance scientific discovery and deliver innovative solutions to help our customers keep people safe.” Core company values include do- ing the right thing, respecting others and performing with excellence.
Skunk Works® has been recognized as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of military aircraft.
“Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® is in the midst of celebrating its 75th anniversary,” said Communi- cations Manager Melissa Dalton. “We are growing and hiring at an unprecedented rate, with more than 500 openings currently and more than 750 openings filled last year.
“We are very committed to giving back to the community by volunteering locally and sponsor- ing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education outreach,” Dalton noted, adding that 85 percent of the work done at Skunk Works® is classified.
Some of the unclassified projects currently worked on include the following:
• Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) for NASA. This is NASA’s reentry into the X-plane arena, with the goal of this flight demonstration pro- gram to enable commercial supersonic flight over land by reducing the impact of the sonic boom. NASA awarded Skunk Works® a contract in Feb- ruary 2016 for the preliminary design of the X-59
to reduce sonic boom to a gentle thump. In 2018, Skunk Works® was selected for the design, build and flight test of the Low-Boom Flight Demonstra- tion.
• “We are working with DARPA (Defense Ad- vanced Research Projects Agency) on the ARES (Arial Reconfigurable Embedded System) program to develop the next generation of compact, high- speed vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) delivery systems,” Dalton said. Difficult terrain and threats such as ambushes and Improvised Explosive De- vices can make ground-based transport to and from the frontline dangerous. The ARES system design can provide flexible transportation options.
• The company partners with the U.S. Air Force on the periodic depot maintenance of the U-2s, which flies more than 10,000 feet higher and 100 mph faster and has larger bandwidth links than any other high-altitude ISR platform. The U-2s collects critical targets no other platform can.
• Skunk Works® leads Hypersonic and Multi Domain Operations for the Lockheed Martin Cor- poration. The global landscape is rapidly evolving and information in the battlespace is moving faster than ever. Timely and effective mission planning is essential in shaping the battle of the future. By leveraging Lockheed Martin’s expertise in open system architecture, the company can rapidly and affordably integrate software onto legacy new and future platforms.
Highlights and milestones accomplished in the past 12 months include the following:
• Acknowledgement of the 75th anniversary of Skunk Works® on June 17, 2018.
• Release of the Inside Skunk Works® podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Sound- cloud.
• Being awarded the X-59 Low-Boom Flight Demonstration program. “It is super exciting to be back designing and flying X-planes at this scale,” said Jaiwon Shin, NASA’s associate administrator for aeronautics. “Our long tradition of solving the technical barriers of supersonic flight to benefit ev- eryone continues.”
• Shifting of employees occurred. One high-rank- ing administrator retired, another stepped into the vacated position and another also entered a leader- ship role at Skunk Works®.
• The first part of the X-59 machine got underway.
• The company demonstrated its leadership in networked warfare.
• The company hosted a virtual field trip to Skunk Works® for 80,000 classrooms. That provided high school students around the United States with an in- troduction to careers related to STEM education.
• Company officials announced growth and part-
See LOCKHEED, Page 8
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