Skunk Works: The Dream Factory for War 

My uncle worked there. As a child, he would give me all kinds of SR-71 swag (not a secret by then), until the invasion of Panama...and the reveal of the F117 Stealth Fighter. Then he could reveal that he’d been lying about working on the SR71, but had been working on the F117 all those years, and I got a gift package of F117 swag! I still have the shirt, tie, and tie-pin. Rest In Peace uncle Ray!

I met one of the designers of the f-117 , and one thing he said he tells people first is that there is a 20-30 year gap between what he is doing and what he can talk about.

The SR-71 in the Smithsonian has a painting of the little skunk on its tail fin. There is a tear dripping from one of its eyes. This signified the last flight for this particular plane.

Let's get a mega projects about Simon Whistler and how he runs 25,000 RU-vid channels lol.

The book "Skunk Works" by former director Ben Ritch is a fantastic read. He was brought on by Kelly Johnson to work on the U-2, he was a key player on the A-12 and SR-71 projects, and is considered the "father of modern stealth" thanks to the F-117 project under his tenure as director.

Kelly Johnson was a genius. One of, if not the best, aeronautical engineers of all time.

I grew up in Palmdale, CA. I can't tell you how cool it was to see these planes flying, chasing each other in test missions, etc. All these planes that people only saw on TV, I would see almost every weekend morning, flying at breakneck speeds, causing things in your home to rattle when they created sonic booms high overhead. As always, thanks to you and your team for another amazing video!

"I would link them below but unfortunately I've got 22 RU-vid channels to run"

Theme idea: semiconductor fabs. Each new generation required breakthroughs in material science, physics, chemistry, and, yes, mathematics. Currently, a new fab cost billions. You can't get much more megaproject-y than that!

Skunk Works is part of the overall military strategy of the US born of the harsh lessons of WWII. The US entered the war with many hastily developed weapons. It lacked a battlefield ready serviceable medium tank and quickly cobbled together the M-3 Lee tank which was sent to Briton for their use. The US entered with the P-40 as it's main fighter and was outclassed by the Axis fighters. It also had the development of some better fighters that entered service in 1941 but the P40 was still the main fighter. There were navy fighters that had similar short comings. What was learned that the policy of isolationism only allowed nations intent of conquest to invade allies and eventually wage war on the US. All of that was couple with the advancement of the ability to project military power over long distances with increasing speed. By the time the war ended the forward staged invasion force of Normandy was replaced by an intercontinental invasion force to strike Japan. The final factor was that new weapon systems were increasingly complex and development time significantly longer. The US would no longer be able to stand behind two oceans and play catch up to superior enemy weapons. So the US has been developing weapons systems for tomorrow and replacements for the systems still in development trying to stay ahead of weapons development of potential enemies. This entails developing a system for a set of specifications, then developing to defeat a system an enemy would need to defeat that system. The goal of staying at least one or two steps ahead of all others, The Skunk Works is actually a subset of a larger mega project.

I used to work amongst a small team in an experimental department for a Large Plant and agricultural tractor manufacturer. Our MD, after reading Skunk Works on holiday, personally bought all his engineers a copy. It is one of the most fascinating books I have read. Highly recommended.

I love that the Nighthawk was the "Stealth Fighter" but did almost no fighting, just bombing. No one was going into a BFM fight with an F117. But then they developed an actual bomber in the B2 so now it wouldn't be right to call it the Stealth Bomber since B2 is definitely just that. Raptor is the #2 most beautiful plane behind the F16 for me. Skunk Works is just one of America's greatest centers of aviation.

The SR-71 is flying art...... Thanks Simon

The Lockheed "Shooting Star" eventually evolved into the "T-33 (T-Bird)" advanced trainer first used for qualifying experienced fighter pilots to fly pure jet aircraft. These trainer models were built in the USA, Canada, and Japan in fairly large numbers.

The book, "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich and Leo Janos is quite worth a read.

Really well done as always Simon. Minor note: A sonic boom doesn't occur just when a plane goes through the speed of sound but occurs for the entire time it is going above the speed of sound. It comes across as just a single "boom" to a ground observer because the aircraft is only above or near them for a very small amount of time.

“The dream factory for war” Welcome to America. Everyone has to be good at something.

Mega projects suggestion: the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme.

requesting the enigma and the decoding of enigma and machine that decoded it

China: "Copy that, damn it! And that, too. And that. And...."

So pretty much anything 'new' we're told about coming out of the skunk works is probably already been worked on for about 25 years or so. Makes you think what they're up to right now.

SR-71: by far the baddest looking aircraft anywhere... ever. (Works well too)

And never moving beyond the design stage was the whole point of the Skunk Works according to Kelly. He wanted anything and everything from his people, didn't care how oddball it was. Never know when it may come in useful.

Less of a megaprojects and more biographics one but maybe Clarence “Kelly” Johnson to father of so many of these megaprojects?

Simon's going to need to need to register as a defense contactor for the US and USSR, due to mega cash he's raking in off the cold ❄️ war

Grew up as a kid in the 80s idolizing the SR71. My uncle who just passed away. Worked for skunkworks and JPL. The was was a genius. He would take his vacation every year and go out in the woods by himself. He would tell us he needed piece and quiet for a month. Found out later he worked on the Have blue project. The only thing he told me was “ Everything you seen in the sky is 20 plus years or older in technology. I also had a friend who used to capture Russian missiles in the late 50s to help reverse engineer them.

Megaprojects idea: The Berlin Airlift

Supercomputers used to fascinate me. I wouldn’t mind a mega project on one of the more famous ones. Cray and Sequoia pop to mind right off. I worked for a computer company, and saw one called Proteus I’ve never heard anything about.

I'm waiting for Skunkworks to make a shark with lasers on its head...

I spent my early years wanting to work at this place. Everything about it fascinated me. The challenges they faced was something that screamed to my core. The people that work there are another breed entirely.

I “SMASHED” the like button like you asked me too. You owe me a new phone now. 😁

I used to live in Antelope Valley in CA where Palmdale and the Skunk Works are located. It seemed like a third of the people you talked to could not tell you what they did for a living. Where do your work? "I can't tell you." What do you do for a living? "I can't tell you" and "the information is classified" are common answers.

This man owns like 8 channels and now has a podcast, the grind don’t stop

God I wish I could go back in time and talk to Kelly Johnson for an hour with no security clearance issues just him answering any question I ask and telling me about all the projects that they was working on and not having to hold back.

I've got an engineer buddy that works for them....he loves his job

At 11:58 . . ."Normally a sonic boom is heard as the aircraft passes through the [sonic] threshold . . ." This is wrong, wrong, WRONG! A sonic boom does NOT only occur as an aircraft passes Mach 1. It happens as long as the aircraft is supersonic at whatever speed. It is a continuous shock wave that travels with and behind the aircraft, in the same way the a wake travels with and behind a ship. It forms because the aircraft's speed compresses the air in front of it so quickly that it doesn't have time to form a laminar flow around the aircraft as it normally would. It is heard as a "boom" rather than as a continuous sound only as the supersonic compression wave passes over a particular point.

We don’t have time to go through everything? Sure we do! I’m here for all of that. 😍

you know you've made it when you don't need sponsors no more, because you can just advertise your other channels/podcasts. Well done Simon, you sir have won RU-vid

I have a friend that works for Lockheed. One time I made a joke about Skunk Works and her face dropped hard, and I could see her start to sweat, and she asked me with a straight face "How do you know about Skunk Works?" I could see she was really stretching her brain and very worried that SHE had told me about it accidentally or something. I replied, "Everyone knows about Skunk Works."

My grandpa was a mathematician at skunk works back in the 50s-60s… he has amazing stories

Kelly Johnson was decades ahead of anything else. The aircraft he worked on are past the leading edge.

Simon: "I would link them below, but I'm too lazy." me: "Oh yeah, this coming from the guy who produces more RU-vid videos than McDonalds produces hamburgers."

My high school technology/electronics teacher worked at Skunk Works. He worked on the U-2 (that's all he'd say), and my cousin just retired from flying it. Extremely interesting.

By far my favorite MegaProjects video. Lockheed's Skunkworks, and their accomplishments are legendary.

2:25 - Chapter 1 - Moonshine origins 3:35 - Chapter 2 - P 80 Shooting star 5:50 - Chapter 3 - Post WWII 7:05 - Chapter 4 - New heights 8:45 - Chapter 5 - Stealth arrives 10:20 - Chapter 6 - Modern age 11:20 - Chapter 7 - Next generation 13:40 - Chapter 8 - Skunk works in the wider world 14:50 - Chapter 9 - The dream factory for war

Simon, you should do the USS Monitor. She was the first ship to be built with a turret, and was the first metal warship to fight another ironclad. She is also the ancestor to all modern warships.

The SR-71 went from a "Doddle" on a napkin, to a FLYING AIRCRAFT, in only "21" months . . . "That", is HOW ITS DONE !. . . Simon.

The first time I saw Simon on RU-vid...I’m going to be honest, just forgettable. Harsh. I know. But cut to today now, #1 favourite human on earth. Complete content stud.

I went to high school with a guy who's father was the CEO of Siemens Canada.. Siemens is regularly contracted by Lockheed, and I got to see some cool tech.. none of which was ever developed, as far as I can tell.. The coolest thing I got to see was a supersonic pulse jet that Siemens did the injection system for. Almost got a job with them, but missed out because my GPA wasn't quite high enough.

I sadly do not work at the Skunk Works. I work at the Northrop-Grumman site a few miles west of the actual building. Still cool to drive by that place to work and back everyday.

Truth: one of the things that my (now) husband and I bonded over was the amazing abilities of aircraft.

It was actually the RS-71 until LBJ accidentally renamed it when he revealed it to the world.

reading the title made me think of jayztwocents pc build

I worked in the Skunk Works in Palmdale, CA in the 1980's as an aircraft mechanic. It was cool. I retired from Lockheed Martin in 2019. I had a good career with Lockheed.

My favourite group of engineers. Good choice Simon.

Worked on the F35 as a government contractor. Focused on the electro-optic systems in the helmet, targeting system, and exterior cameras. Absolutely best job ever. Required Top Secret clearance. Was under a Non Disclosure Agreement for 7 years after leaving the position that covered everything about the position & technology (obviously), but also covered that I even worked at the specific company (not Skunk Works). So many stories…

I won a tour of the Rolls Royce jet engine factory years ago. When I saw the ShadowWorks sign, I went to discreetly take a pic of it, before a security guard tapped me on the back and waited with me while I deleted the pic.

frickin awsome! "looks like something batman would fly" and then a scene of batman giving a thumbs up!

Loved this video Simon! All of Skunk Works relevant facts distilled in a short video. Ben Rich’s book gives such an amazing insight to SW.

I've had the pleasure of going to multiple open house events at their Palmdale, Ca location in the past having grown up in Lancaster and knowing people that worked on the F117 from the start. My dad also worked at the Burbank location back in the day.

The Gloster Meteor was a month behind the Me 262. The British just knew that the jet want combat capable.

Simon’s love for the SR71 is limitless.

Would love an episode on the F22 or the Eurofighter

2:15 “I would link them below, but I’m too lazy.” 😂

Aircraft do share really time date...data link, it’s why anything the awacs picks up on radar, the other aircraft can see too, and fighter to fighter can share

I’d mop the floors, so long as my ID card reads “SKUNK Werks Janitor”

Thanks for this! I'm a big aviation buff. You should do a Biographics video on Kelly Johnson.

Unbelievable facility, had the privilege to go there a a number of times and had perfect timing during one visit, was invited to the production floor, and nothing but gold U2’s going through production, I was told back then this was the last group of U2’s coming through the facility. We watched the preflight suite up of 2 SR71 Pilot’s and 1 U2 Pilot, then they drove us in a van with some idiot congressman to the end of the runway for take off of both, the SR71 takeoff was amazing and we vibrated as it passed over. Mid 1980’s.

We need official video of the super duper missile. That sounds so awesome!!

Simon, I have to correct you here. The sonic boom is not as it passes through the barrier, that is the first instance of it however the sonic boom only seems to be as it passes because of how our ears work. The sonic boom will in fact travel with the plane as long as it stays above the speed of sound which is why supersonic jets were banned over land. Every meter it travels, every person it passes will be hit by a sonic boom. A quiet supersonic plane would be the next massive revolution in aviation technology and will advance aviation in a way not seen since the invention of the jet engine.

It’s probably impossible but you should cover a USSR type Skunk Works! Again easier said then done.

The one place in the world where i want to work the most. Absolute legends.

Skunk Works is legendary, heard that they've gone out own their own these days.

I grew up about three miles from this place. In 7th grade, I won an essay contest and got to go inside where they showed us the X33 fuel tank after it was cancelled and declassified, the F35 before it flew and let me fly the F117 simulator. Later in life, I hiked to the site of the F117 Crash north of Tehachapi and south of Lake Isabella. It was little more than some bits of alluminum scattered around the 3500-4500' range of foothills.

The “sonic boom” isn’t generated as an aircraft “passes through the threshold”... it is the result of the shockwave that the aircraft is continually dragging across the ground along its flight path while going faster than the speed of sound.

Fascinating! My grandfather was an aviation and space program engineer. He worked on the Tomahawk cruise missile for which I still have original blueprints. My father was in the same industries and worked on the Hubble telescope! He says some of his DNA is floating out there on the parts he handled.

SpaceX would be a cool megaprojects video.

Small but important correction: A sonic boom is not caused by breaking the sound barrier, i.e., it is not the passing the barrier that creates the effect, but that the object is traveling faster than sound. An object traveling faster than the speed of sound produces the effect continuously, rather than just once when reaching the relative speed of sound (the actual speed of sound varies depending on atmospheric conditions). The effect creates a focused, cone shaped shock wave that can only be heard at a quite tight angle from the source as the edges of that wave pass the person's location, which is why we do not hear the effect continuously as the aircraft passes overhead. Low noise supersonic? The way to do that would be the shape the aircraft so the shock wave does not reach the ground, i.e., shape the aircraft to shape the way the wave is produced, focused, and dissipated. Plasma may be another way. They have already used a large ball of plasma in front of an aircraft to reduce drag. It creates a low pressure zone behind the plasma for the aircraft travel in, i.e., the plane can go faster because it has to push less air out of its way as it cuts through the atmosphere. Combined with a shock wave reducing aerodynamic shape, plasma could probably work. Creating plasma takes a lot of energy though, which is energy not being converted into thrust if it comes from generators in the jet engines.

“We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity.” ― Ben Rich CEO Lockheed Skunk Works

My dad was an accountant for Lockheed Martin at the Skunk Works in Palmdale, CA. Before that he was an accountant at Lockheed in Clear Lake, Houston, Texas. My dad never really told us much about his job. Some of it was Top Secret.

Palmdale: the only place no one wants to go so it’s a safe place for Skunkworks lol

WORKED PLANT 42 FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AWESOME PROGRAMS, TIME OF MY LIFE...... SPACE SHUTTLES, B1-BOMBERS, F-117, F-22, BOEING F-32, AIRBORNE LASER, U-2, L-1011, C130 GUNSHIP,

How about a little something developed by the skunk works at Bugatti: The Bugatti Veyron as a future MegaProjects video?

my paternal grandfather worked on developing the sr-71. it was really neat to get to learn about the place he did it.

MegaProjects suggestions Lockheed Martin f22 raptor

In the '80s, I was a facilities vendor for Lockheed. I did not have any type of security clearance, so would have to meet engineers out back where the Roach Coach showed Iup (they had several picnic tables) for engineering design meetings for various plant improvements.

All Western allied nations owe a massive dept of gratitude to Engineer Kelly Johnson. The team under Johnson built the impossible, thereby securing global security during the Cold War.

Just a little fun fact for aviation nerds, the ME262 at 3:57 is in a tail dragger configuration, these where early prototypes, future 262s had a tripod landing gear instead with the tail always being well above the ground and the plane being paralel over the ground instead of diagonal, most modern planes and fighter jets use the tripod gear instead of being tail draggers

Simon, for Biographics, look into the story of Howard Blackburn a fisherman from Gloucester, MA..an amazing story.

My dad's co worker who is a millwright and a machinist worked on the hubble telescope they showed me a few pieces that were put on the final piece

do the Yorktown class carriers

In 1970, I turned 10, on Hollaman Air Base. I was given appropriate out door roller skates, as a gift.I will never recover or regret It. Welcome to "The WORK'S".

next video is about "gamestop: STONKS works"

used to work at a different Lockheed Division. If you needed something built and did not have a clue about the tech, design or method, we could do it. It won't be cheap, but it will work well.

"Skunk works" honestly sounds more like a weed farm than what it really is

Years ago my uncle worked there and got my friend and I access to the main hanger at Plant 42. It was amazing seeing everything in various states of disassembly, especially the U-2’s and their various systems. I wish I could say more but it would be a crime if I went into too much detail, and I was much younger so I don’t remember everything so vividly.

"IBM computers" Me who is just a missiles expert: "Inter ballistic missile computers WHAT?"

Thanks to these projects you and many others can live safely.

"We have hydrosonic missiles" - Trump

Dick Bong, the highest ace in the Pacific Theater died in a P-80 near Los Angeles when the engine flamed out.