It’s the most out-in-the-open secret factory in the United States. Visible from the Sierra Highway in Palmdale are the buildings of Lockheed Martin Corp., one of which has a large logo of a skunk on its side. Officially known as the Advanced Development Programs division, the nickname for this facility is the Skunk Works, and for more than 70 years it has been on the forefront of aircraft design and technology. Inside the 886,000-square-foot plant at 1011 Lockheed Way, a staff of engineers, designers and fabricators are thinking eight or nine steps ahead of what regular aircraft can do. “It is one of the crown jewels of U.S. aerospace,” said Richard L. Aboulafia, an aviation analyst with aerospace research firm Teal Group, in Fairfax, Va. The Skunk Works’ legacy includes some of the most advanced aircraft ever built: the XP-80, a prototype jet fighter during World War II; the U2 high-altitude spy plane; the SR-71 Blackbird, one of the fastest planes ever flown; and the F-117 Nighthawk, the first stealth bomber. Read the complete story in the August 10 edition of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.