Skunk Works is the advanced development division of which aerospace company?

Skunk Works is the advanced development division of Lockheed Martin.

The name began during World War II, when Lockheed engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson led a small, highly secret team developing the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star jet fighter. The group worked under intense time pressure and unusual autonomy, helping establish the fast, classified design culture associated with Skunk Works.

Skunk Works later produced landmark aircraft including the U-2 reconnaissance plane, the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, and the F-22 Raptor. Its Palmdale, California, operation is formally known as Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs.

A common mix-up is answering “Lockheed” rather than “Lockheed Martin.” Lockheed Corporation created Skunk Works, but Lockheed merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to form Lockheed Martin. Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing have all run advanced aerospace programs, but Skunk Works is the distinctive Lockheed Martin name.