The author was given a gift in the form of a radar formula that made it possible to calculate the lowest possible radar cross section, which would make future stealth aircraft possible. The US was losing the non-nuclear arms race, as the Soviets were exporting their advanced SAM systems around the world, making American aircraft and crews increasingly vulnerable. It was a gift from the gods assigned to take care of beleaguered executives. The author was given a stealth technology plane to complete, which he named the Blackbird.

The TR-1, or U-2, was renamed by the Pentagon. The author left the Pentagon after meeting with the general in charge of the Air Force’s U-2 program. But it needed to be updated with a more powerful engine and fitted with advanced avionics to become even more effective flying its tactical missions around the world. The U-2 was a plane that the US government had spent a lot of money on, and it was still in use fifty years later. It was losing money, and it was facing corruption charges. When Rich took over, the company was in a terrible situation. He would instead be decisive in informing them what he wanted, after which they would be free to implement it. The author began by loosening the leash on his department heads, telling them that he was not a genius like Kelly, who knew by experience and instinct how to solve the most complex technical problems. Many of these planes were never declassified, even after the Cold War ended. The Skunk Works was a top-secret project within Lockheed Martin that created many innovative and secret aircrafts. The Skunk Works was a top-secret research and development facility within Lockheed Martin that created many of the company’s most popular aircraft. On January 17, 1975, the day he was promoted to chief engineer at the age of 50, the author parked his car for the first time in front of an unmarked two-story windowless building that resembled a concrete blockhouse. Insights from Chapter 16 Insights from Chapter 1 Rich and Leo Janos's Skunk Works Contents The former head of Lockheed's SKUNK WORKS reveals the amazing story of the secret aircraft that changed the course of history - from the U-2 to the Stealth Fighter Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.Insights on Ben R.

It is a tribute to genius in the unrelenting contest for mastery of the skies. Direct from the cockpits of these astonishing aircraft - U-2 spy-plane, SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Stealth Fighter. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation's brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the story of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works is a high-stakes drama of Cold War confrontations and Gulf War air combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement against fantastic odds. SKUNK WORKS is the true story, told for the first time, of America's most secret and successful aerospace operation.

Skunk Works by Ben R. Rich