Skunk Works : a personal memoir of my years at Lockheed

The onetime director of Lockheed's Skunk Works, the top-secret facility that developed the U-2 spy plane and the stealth fighter, reveals the behind-the-scenes drama involved in the development of the military's aerial technology. 50,000 first printing. This classic history of America's high-stakes quest to dominate the skies is'a gripping technothriller in which the technology is real'(New York Times Book Review). From the development of the U-2 to the Stealth fighter, Skunk Works is the true story of America's most secret and successful aerospace operation. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation's brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the chronicle of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works is a drama of Cold War confrontations and Gulf War air combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement against fantastic odds. Here are up-close portraits of the maverick band of scientists and engineers who made the Skunk Works so renowned. Filled with telling personal anecdotes and high adventure, with narratives from the CIA and from Air Force pilots who flew the many classified, risky missions, this book is a riveting portrait of the most spectacular aviation triumphs of the twentieth century.'Thoroughly engrossing.'--Los Angeles Times Book Review Skunk Works is the true story, told for the first time, of America's most secret and successful aerospace operation. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation's brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the story of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works is a high-stakes drama of cold war confrontations and Gulf War air combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement against fantastic odds.

Here, for the first time, is the inside story of Lockheed's Skunk Works--the supersecret facility that developed the U-2, America's most successful spy plane; the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest-ever production jet; and the F-117A stealth fighter, the radar-invisible attack plane used during the Gulf War. "Dynamite--the true story of one of America's crown jewels!"--Tom Clancy. of photos.

From the development of the U-2 to the Stealth fighter, the never-before-told story behind America's high-stakes quest to dominate the skies Skunk Works is the true story of America's most secret and successful aerospace operation. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation's brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the chronicle of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works is a drama of cold war confrontations and Gulf War air combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement against fantastic odds. Here are up-close portraits of the maverick band of scientists and engineers who made the Skunk Works so renowned. The former head of Lockheed's Skunk Works reveals the now-it-can-be-told story of the secret airplanes and deep black missions that changed the course of history-from U-2 to the Stealth fighter