As World War II exploded across Europe, the United States realized it needed a way to counteract German advances in aviation — specifically, jet aircraft. The US military asked Lockheed Martin (then the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation) to build a jet fighter. Desperate times called for desperate measures: in a month, the engineering team had a proposal. Less than six months later, working in a closely guarded circus tent, they built the first plane.[151] This group became known as the Skunk Works,
