Synopses & Reviews
Since 1943, scores of remarkable military aircraft and aviation technologies have rolled out of Lockheed's top-secret Skunk Works program. This in-depth look at the famous research and design team's pioneering work reveals the nuts and bolts behind production and experimental aircraft, from the P-80 Shooting Star to today's X-35 Joint Strike Fighter prototype. While the emphasis is on high-profile products like the U-2 Dragon Lady, SR-71 Blackbird, C-130 Hercules, F-117 Nighthawk and F-22 Raptor, the book also examines Skunk Works projects that have yet to be covered in book form, including the Tier III Minus DarkStar unmanned air vehicle and the X-33 VentureStar orbiter.
About the Author
Dennis R. Jenkins spent 30 years as an engineer and manager on the Space Shuttle Program and other space-related programs incuding the X-33, Orbital Space Plane, and the Crew Exploration Vehicle. Most recently he has served as an advisor and investigator on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and as technical staff to the president's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy and the Space Shuttle Return to Flight Task Group. He is currently the Verville Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. Jenkins has written more than 40 books on aerospace subjects.