You usually only hear about the super secret “Skunk Works” arm of Lockheed when the government awards another massive contract for, say, the F-22 stealth fighter jet. Or when Lockheed wants to quietly boast about some revolutionary technology, like a mini nuclear reactor. But now Skunk Works is coming out of its secret hideaway to become a little more public. That hideaway, by the way, consists of “100 buildings and 3 million square feet of floor space,” according to Reuters. That’s a lot to keep secret.
Competition from companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX is driving Skunk Works into the light. The division, which dates back to the 1940s, is even bringing out a glossy brochure–presumably for members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Reuters reports that Skunk Works has also broken protocol and invited a few journalists to its California desert facility over the past year. It’s the new age of branding and transparency, even if much of what you make is literally stealth.
