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Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, Calif.

The origins of Plant 42 go back to and production, while having excellent
the early 1930s, when a small airstrip flying weather all year round. The land
was built in the desert. which became Plant 42 fit these crite-
It was listed in 1935 documenta- ria. Consequently, the Air Force agreed
tion as CAA Intermediate #5, and to purchase the land from Los Angeles
was established by the Bureau of Air County in 1951.
Commerce (later the Civil Aeronau- The Air Force awarded a contract to
tics Administration), who maintained Lockheed Aircraft to develop the mas-
a network of emergency landing fields. ter plan for the site. The plan was to
It provided a pilot in distress with a construct a facility that would meet the
better alternative than landing on a requirements of full war mobilization
public road or a farmer’s field. and augment the industrial produc-
In 1940, Palmdale Army Airfield tion potential of the major airframe
was activated as a U.S. Army Air manufacturing industry in southern from its original Burbank-Glendale- are Lockheed Martin and Northrop production facility. Specialized science
Corps airfield, for use as an emergen- California. Pasadena Airport site (now Bob Hope Grumman. platform aircraft, such as the DC-8 fly-
cy landing strip and for B-25 Mitchell The concept for Air Force Plant 42 Airport) after the end of the Cold War. Throughout its history, the plant has ing laboratory, high-altitude research
medium bomber support training dur- originated in the challenge of flight Its present hangar was constructed supported facilities for the production, aircraft ER-2s, C-20A, Gulfstream
ing World War II. It was one of many testing high performance jet aircraft in 1968 and the outer walls of the engineering, final assembly and flight III and the Stratospheric Observatory
intermediate fields that were used as over heavily populated areas. structure were put up in a matter of testing of high performance aircraft. for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), are
auxiliary fields or emergency landing Following approval of the Master days. Its hangar originally was built During the 1980s it was used by Lock- based at the Palmdale facility. Build-
fields by the Army Air Corps during Plan in 1953, the Palmdale Airport for the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar pas- heed to produce the U-B/TR-1 and ing 703 contains about 422,000 square
World War II. Their dispersion along officially became Air Force Plant senger jet project. support the SR-71. Northrop produced feet of floor space, including 210,000
the air routes, their infrequent use, and 42; ownership of the installation was The Northrop Grumman facilities the F-5E, and Rockwell supported the square feet in the central hangar area
their U.S. government ownership made transferred to the federal government at Plant 42 — known as the Palmdale B-1B Lancer. and an equivalent amount of office
them ideal for use by military aircraft. in 1954. With Air Force encourage- Aircraft Integration Center of Excel- Past projects include: space on four floors.
Palmdale Army Airfield acted as a ment, Lockheed, looked upon with lence — is currently building fuselages In 2010, the Air Force changed the
sub-base for Muroc Army Airfield and favor by the Air Force at this time, for the F-35 Lightning II, as well as • Each of the Space Shuttle orbiters operational status of Plant 42 from
Hammer Army Airfield near Fresno. established its permanent presence at work on the Navy’s MQ-4C Triton, • Modernization of the Space Shut- Government Owned Contractor Oper-
Palmdale Army Airfield was de- Plant 42. It signed a lease in 1956 for and the U.S. Air Force’s RQ-4 Global tle Columbia’s cockpit area
clared a surplus facility in 1946 and 237 acres to use Palmdale Airport for Hawk . • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar passen- ated to a Defense Department-operated
was purchased by Los Angeles County final assembly and flight testing. ger jet facility. Privately operated since 1954,
for use as a municipal airport. How- Aerospace contractors at Air Force • B-1 Lancer Bomber the Air Force now operates the facility
ever, the outbreak of the Korean War Lockheed’s famed Skunk Works, Plant 42 share a common runway • XB-70 Valkyrie under the auspices of the 412th Test
in 1950 caused the Air Force to reac- which developed military aircraft in- complex and either lease building • X-15 Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, Ca-
tivate the property for use in final as- cluding the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird and space from the Air Force (commonly • SR-71 Blackbird lif.
sembly and flight testing of military jet F-117 Nighthawk, is at Site 10 of the referred to as GOCO, or Government • F-117A Nighthawk In the 21st century, the long legacy
aircraft. complex (actually private property Owned Contractor Operated), or own • B-2 Spirit Bomber of Air Force Plant 42 continues with
Both the Air Force and its aircraft with secure access to Plant 42 airfield), their own building outright. such programs as the Lockheed Mar-
contractors needed a location away near Sierra Highway. There are eight separate produc- In 2007, NASA became a tenant tin X-59 QueSST Quiet Supersonic
from major population centers — due The Skunk Works were founded tion sites especially suited for ad- at Plant 42. NASA and Los Angeles Transport, being designed and built
to sonic booms, other noises and se- by the legendary Kelly Johnson in vanced technology and/or “black” World Airports signed a 20-year lease for NASA, and Northrop Grumman’s
curity concerns — but close enough Burbank, Calif. Lockheed Martin re- program projects. Currently the most on Bldg. 703 — the former Rockwell B-21 Raider, the Air Force’s newest
to the major centers of aircraft design located the Skunk Works to Plant 42 well-known contractors at Plant 42 International/North American Aircraft bomber.
Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems

The Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base has known
many names over the years and is now known as AFRL Aerospace Systems.
Research areas range from experimental rocket propulsion, to developing the
first ever lithium-ion main aircraft battery for use in the B-2 stealth bomber. At
Edwards AFB, the test area is located east of Rogers Lake.

The AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division has played a key role in advancing
rocket engine technologies for the nation since 1952. Prior to the development
of Project Apollo by NASA, the Air Force worked on the development and test-
ing of the F-1 rocket engine used to power the Saturn V rocket. The facilities
for testing rockets are frequently used for testing new rocket engines, including
the RS-68 rocket engine developed for use on the Delta IV launch vehicle.
June 23, 1955: The first
of a series of 30 firing
tests of the XLR71-NA-1 January 2020: The Altitude facility at Edwards Air
rocket engine for the Force Base, California, does tactical scale research on
Navajo cruise missile next generation rocket motor and engine components,
took place at the Rocket propellant formulations, and subsystems; and high
Engine Test Station. vacuum research on satellite components, subsystems,
The engine achieved and systems. Research testing includes solid rocket
approximately 243,000 motor testing at simulated altitudes up to 120,000
pounds of thrust on the feet. The complex has been used for space simulation
stand. The Edwards to validate thrust vector control systems, baseline a
History Office provided standard for solid rocket motor propellants, research
the photo which was extendable nozzle cones, and systems, and research
captured during liftoff of space qualified ignition systems. The Air Force Research
a Navajo cruise missile Laboratory and Blue Origin are developing a new test
at Cape Canaveral, Fla., facility for the Blue Origin BE-7 lunar lander engine at
in April 1957. the AFRL rocket lab at Edwards. Dec. 22, 1964: A one million-pound thrust, solid rocket
motor was successfully fired at the Rocket Propulsion
Laboratory on Leuhman Ridge. The 120-inch diameter
motor was under development for the Titan III Space
Launch Vehicle Program.

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