Here's What We Know About Lockheed's Super-Secret Weapons Unit

Lockheed Martin Corp's Skunk Works was the driving force behind development of many well-known U.S. military aircraft, including the famed "Blackbird" or SR-71 spy plane that could fly from New York to Los Angeles in just over an hour.

Following are some facts about the Lockheed division, whose Skunk Works name is a registered trademark, and some of the weapons it has or is developing:

* Got its start in 1943 when Kelly Johnson and his engineers designed the first fighter jet for the U.S. military in a rented circus tent next to a manufacturing plant, whose strong odors permeated the place. Under orders to keep silent about their work, even when they answered the phone, an engineer responded to a phone call one day by referencing a stinky place called the "Skonk Works" featured in the popular Li'l Abner comic strip.

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