Ben Rich
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 6
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| On the Timeline | 1 event, 1985 |
Benjamin Robert Rich (18 June 1925 – 5 January 1995) was an American aeronautical engineer who led Lockheed's secret Skunk Works division from 1975 to 1991, overseeing the development of the F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational stealth aircraft.[1][2]
Early life
Rich was born in Manila, in the Philippines, into a Jewish family, one of five children. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, a master's in aeronautical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, and later attended Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.[1]
Lockheed and the Skunk Works
Rich joined Lockheed as a thermodynamicist, designing air inlets for aircraft including the F-104 Starfighter and the C-130 Hercules. In December 1954 he joined the Skunk Works, the company's advanced projects division, under its founder Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. He designed the inlets of the U-2 spy plane, worked on a liquid-hydrogen plant for the secret Project Suntan, and was propulsion programme manager for the A-12 and SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft.[1][3]
Stealth
Rich succeeded Johnson as head of the Skunk Works in 1975. He championed early stealth prototypes, which led to the F-117, the first production aircraft designed to be hard to detect by radar. In January 1981 he received the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service medal at a secret ceremony for this work. He retired in 1991.[1][2]
Honours and death
Rich was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, received the Collier Trophy, and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005. He wrote the memoir Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed with Leo Janos. He died of cancer in Ventura, California, on 5 January 1995, aged 69.[1][2][3]
On the UAP Timeline
- Aurora budget line (1985) (1985) — Budget papers suggest the Pentagon planned large spending on an 'Aurora' program.
References
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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