Military
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Conceived in 1943, the Skunk Works division in Burbank, CA, was formed by innovator Kelly Johnson to build America’s first jet fighter after German jets appeared over Europe. Working in secrecy under an exceptionally tight deadline, Johnson promised the Pentagon a first prototype in 150 days, and his engineers produced the P-80 Shooting Star in 143 days. The aircraft became the first American plane to exceed 500 mph in level flight and later won history’s first jet-versus-jet dogfight over Korea in 1950.
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Burbank, California · United States
