[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 96 (Monday, June 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3606-S3607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 39--COMMEMORATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
 LOCKHEED MARTIN SKUNK WORKS AND THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE 
       SKUNK WORKS TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

                            S. Con. Res. 39

       Whereas Lockheed Martin is known for building many of the 
     finest military aircraft in the world;
       Whereas the Palmdale, California location of Lockheed 
     Martin is headquarters to the Advanced Development Programs 
     group of the company, which is widely known as the ``Skunk 
     Works'';
       Whereas the name the ``Skonk Works''--
       (1) came from ``Li'l Abner,'' a satirical comic strip by Al 
     Capp that was immensely popular in the 1940s and 1950s;
       (2) in 1943, was first used in reference to the Advanced 
     Development Programs group when the Department of the Navy 
     attempted to establish a conference call connection and was 
     mistakenly transferred to the XP-80 program of the Advanced 
     Development Programs group, which due to classification could 
     not to be identified when the call was answered, and a member 
     of the Advanced Development Programs group instead answered 
     the call by saying, ``Skonk Works,'' in reference to the 
     location of the facility next to a malodorous plastics 
     factory in Burbank, California; and
       (3) would later become the name that is used for the 
     Advanced Development Programs group today, the ``Skunk 
     Works'';

       Whereas the founding father of the Skunk Works was Clarence 
     L. ``Kelly'' Johnson;
       Whereas, in June 1943, Kelly Johnson and the Skunk Works 
     team designed and delivered the XP-80, which became the P-80, 
     the very first operational fighter jet of the United States, 
     in only 143 days;
       Whereas the XP-80 program set the standard for super-
     secret, high priority, rapid execution projects performed on 
     a minimal budget;
       Whereas, on August 1, 1955, the Skunk Works first flew the 
     U-2 spy plane with the intention of operating over the Soviet 
     Union and photographing sites of strategic interest;
       Whereas the U-2 became one of the most important 
     intelligence tools during the Cold War and continues to be a 
     critical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance asset 
     for the United States military;
       Whereas, in 1964, the Skunk Works first flew the SR-71 
     ``Blackbird,'' which is the reigning world record holder for 
     speed over a straight course at 2,193.167 miles per hour and 
     served the United States Air Force from 1966 until 1998;
       Whereas, in 1964, the Skunk Works flew the first-ever high-
     altitude unmanned aerial vehicle, the D-21, which was 
     launched from an SR-71;
       Whereas, in 1976, the Skunk Works began production of a 
     stealth fighter named ``Have Blue,'' which went on to become 
     the F-117, the first operational stealth aircraft;
       Whereas, during the entirety of the Cold War, the Skunk 
     Works was located in Burbank, California;
       Whereas, after 1989, Lockheed relocated the Skunk Works to 
     Site 10 at United States Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, 
     California, where the Skunk Works remains in operation today 
     with more than 2,700 employees;
       Whereas the Skunk Works, in partnership with Edwards Air 
     Force Base, has developed and tested aircraft including the 
     U-2, the SR-71, the F-117, the YF-22, and the X-35, as well 
     as other classified projects, in Antelope Valley, California;
       Whereas, in 2008, the Skunk Works became the only aerospace 
     company ever to receive the highest national honor for 
     technological achievement, the National Medal of Technology 
     and Innovation;
       Whereas, the Skunk Works was awarded a Collier Trophy, the 
     most prestigious award in aviation in the United States--
       (1) in 1958, for the F-104;
       (2) in 1963, for the A-11;
       (3) in 1989, for the F-117A;
       (4) in 1998, for the U-2S/ER-2;
       (5) in 2002, for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)/X-35;
       (6) in 2006, for the F-22; and
       (7) in 2013, for the X-47B; and

       Whereas, today, the Skunk Works designs, develops, and 
     rapidly produces advanced manned and unmanned technologies, 
     serving both military and commercial concerns: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes--
       (A) the tremendous accomplishments of the men and women of 
     Lockheed Martin Skunk Works on the 75th anniversary of the 
     establishment of the Skunk Works during World War II; and
       (B) the indisputable contributions of the aircraft 
     designed, developed, and produced

[[Page S3607]]

     by the Skunk Works to the national security of the United 
     States over the last 75 years; and
       (2) encourages continued invention, innovation, and 
     development of advanced technologies by the Skunk Works for 
     the United States Government, allies of the United States, 
     and commercial partners into the foreseeable future.

                          ____________________