Who Is Sponsor of Skunk Works SBJ Project?
Famous for secrets, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works is still masking the identity of the sponsor behind its supersonic business jet (SBJ) project. Suspect number one, multibillionaire NetJets owner Warren Buffett, says it’s not him – although NetJets continues to be a booster of the project. Lockheed Martin has stopped granting interview requests, and has imposed gag orders on partners such as engine manufacturers. Lockheed Martin (Chalet D10-11 and OE15) briefings and documents – including a voluminous patent from low-sonic-boom guru John Morgenstern, released in May – paint a picture of a large program that may be further advanced than competitors claim to be. In a presentation to a Federal Aviation Administration conference late last year, Lockheed Martin bluntly described its SBJ design as “closed” and its certification basis as “developed,” stressing that the aircraft will have a simple engine and conventional construction. Unlike other manufacturers who briefed the same meeting, Lo
