In 1943 the War Department gave Lockheed 150 days to design and build a jet fighter. Chief engineer Kelly Johnson’s team delivered the XP-80 prototype in 143 days. Lockheed Martin still tells the story as “seven days ahead of schedule.” The XP-80 first flew on January 8, 1944.
Johnson’s team became known as the Skunk Works. Later, Johnson won the contract for the U-2 spy plane “by promising to deliver the aircraft in just eight months.”