Skunk Works Expands in Palmdale

Lockheed Martin Corp. completed construction this month on an advanced manufacturing facility at its Skunk Works campus in Palmdale.The manufacturing and office space, opened Aug.10, can accommodate 450 employees, according to a release from the Bethesda, Md. aerospace and defense contractor.Jeff Babione, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, said that for more than 100 years, Lockheed Martin has called California home.“The technology in our new Palmdale facility lets us go beyond manufacturing optimization to the next digital revolution, driving innovation and preserving California’s leadership in the aerospace industry,” Babione said in a statement.The new 215,000-square-foot intelligent flex factory incorporates all three of Lockheed’s advanced production priorities: an intelligent factory framework; a technology-enabled advanced manufacturing environment; and a flexible factory construct to support customer priorities with speed and agility while bolstering manufacturing capability in the United States, the company said in its release.This project is the cornerstone of more than $400 million in capital investments across Lockheed’s Palmdale campus to address growth in support of its customers’ missions, the company added.This is one of four manufacturing facilities Lockheed plans to open in the U.S. this year.