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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 39 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 11, 2018

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
 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.

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 ``Skunk 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, ``Skunk 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 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.
                                 <all>
```