A video for the eightieth anniversary of the Skunk Works reveals, by renderings and sketches, the previous, the current and the way forward for the secretive division of Lockheed Martin.

To have a good time 80 years of the secretive Skunk Works division, Lockheed Martin launched a brief video on social media displaying the legacy and the innovation introduced by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson’s creation. Among the many renderings and sketches displaying the previous, the current and the way forward for the secretive division, there are a few attention-grabbing ones about new initiatives that the corporate has been teasing not too long ago.

“From our humble beginnings with Kelly Johnson in a circus tent, Skunk Works all the time has our eyes on the long run,” says the caption with the video. “The historic packages featured on this video, such because the P-80 Taking pictures Star, U-2 Dragon Woman and F-117 Nighthawk, paved a path to the place we’re right this moment.”

We give because of the women and men who’ve superior aviation innovation over generations. From our humble beginnings with Kelly Johnson in a circus tent, Skunk Works® all the time has eyes on the long run.

Can you notice the entire historic packages hidden on this video? pic.twitter.com/FFaZ6l2c8D

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) November 20, 2023

Opening with Kelly Johnson in entrance of Lockheed Martin’s services, the video goes on displaying all the most important initiatives of the Skunk Works: the P-38 Lightning, P-80 Taking pictures Star, XF-90, F-104 Starfighter, the SR-71 Blackbird and D-21 drone duo, F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, U-2 Dragon Woman, the nonetheless unnamed Subsequent Gen UAS, X-59 QueSST.

Then issues get attention-grabbing with the primary sketch about new initiatives, which clearly present the identical SR-72 design that Lockheed Martin has now been displaying for some years. Some latest experiences talked about that take a look at articles of a reconnaissance plane far more able to those at the moment in service, possibly hinting at the SR-72, have been delivered and evaluated by the Air Drive, with work persevering with on a subsequent block of plane.

After the SR-72, the video reveals a beforehand unseen design of a stealth flying wing drone, probably an Unmanned Fight Aerial Automobile which could fit the description for a Collaborative Combat Aircraft. This design may be utterly notional, put there as a reference for the work the Skunk Works division is doing for brand new superior drone designs, or it could possibly be the primary tease of a challenge about to be introduced.

Final however not least, we now have one other look of the following era plane that Lockheed Martin may be engaged on for the Subsequent Technology Air Dominance program. The form of the sketch within the video is completely in keeping with the mysterious silhouette of a next generation aircraft that the corporate featured on social media earlier this yr.

The design, which was initially thought to be a twin-engine aircraft, now seems to be a single engine fighter. The sketch confirms it being a tailless design (thought-about superb to acquire very low observability) with a diamond-shaped wing planform with straight main and trailing edges. Nevertheless, the cover is way bigger than the one within the silhouette printed in July.

Let’s understand that this design could possibly be associated to NGAD nevertheless it may not be NGAD itself, as this system is extremely categorized. The 2 doable choices are this being only a notional design to present trace about the kind of work being executed for such a sophisticated challenge or it could possibly be associated to one of many prototypes of the secret X-planes program that demonstrated applied sciences later merged within the NGAD demonstrator.

Stefano D’Urso is a contract journalist and contributor to TheAviationist primarily based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in Industral Engineering he is additionally finding out to realize a Grasp Diploma in Aerospace Engineering. Digital Warfare, Loitering Munitions and OSINT methods utilized to the world of army operations and present conflicts are amongst his areas of experience.