Beast didn’t invent the SR-71 – a Skunk did. A small team of Skunks to be exact. During the Cold War, there was a need for a new reconnaissance aircraft that could evade enemy radar, and the customer needed it fast. At Lockheed Martin’s advanced development group, the Skunk Works®, work had already begun on an innovative aircraft to improve intelligence-gathering, one that would fly faster than any aircraft before or since, at greater altitude, and with a minimal radar cross section. The team rose to the nearly impossible challenge, and the aircraft took its first flight on December 22, 1964. A Blackbird was born.

Today, the Skunk Works team is still using an innovative and world-class approach to quickly solve challenges. The team’s unique culture is the key to its success and the secret ingredient that continues to define the future of aerospace.