Meet the Skunk Works Team
Jamison escorted Ranell through a series of windowless, nondescript hallways from the parking garage. She stared for a moment into a biometric iris recognition device that unlocked the door to a conference room. As Ranell stepped inside, he was impressed by the luxurious appointment. Leather executive chairs surrounded a long mahogany conference table. Three of the four walls were lined with large, expensive-looking television screens. There were also decorative plant displays and stunning pictures of various Lockheed-Martin aircraft framed to enhance the impression of dynamic action.
Curiously, the fourth wall of the conference room was blank. It was just a large undecorated white expanse that seemed to upset the otherwise perfect balance of the room. However, Ranell didn't have time to puzzle over this feature because the introductions were beginning.
“Dr. Ranell, allow me to introduce Vernon Foster.” Jamison made a graceful gesture that ushered Ranell into a firm handshake with a large man, impeccably dressed in an expensive gray suit, whose sparking blue eyes and broad grin made Ranell feel like he was reuniting with an old friend, rather than meeting someone for the first time.
“Mr. Foster is our Vice President of the Aeronautics Business Area,” Jamison chimed pleasantly, “his portfolio features fifth-generation tactical aircraft, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, and advanced development programs, including hybrid airship design.”
“Just call me Vern,” Foster beamed. “We’re really excited to show what we’ve been doing with the Sky Tug since you dropped her off here.”
“And this is Cora Vaughn,” Jamison continued the introductions with perfect timing, allowing Ranell to finish pleasantries before sweeping him over to the next executive. “Mrs. Vaughn is our VP of Rotary and Mission Systems. RMS operates from numerous global locations, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, the United Kingdom, and several other countries.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you at last,” Vaughn said, offering her hand. She wore a dark skirt and blazer accentuated with a matching gold necklace and earrings. Her dazzling white smile was offset by glowing mocha skin and dark brown eyes, and if possible, she radiated even more warmth and friendliness than Foster did. “Hybrid cargo airships are a natural offshoot of heavy-lift rotor wing technology. I must admit, the combination of aerostatic lift coupled with vectored thrust propulsion is a subject that has fascinated me for a long time. I can't tell you how delighted I am to be the lead for this project."
The Lockheed-Martin team’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Ranell was caught up in the exultant spirit of the moment. Is this the project we bet on? He was grinning from ear to ear. I've been around big tech before, but this is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. This is magical!
The meeting that followed was upbeat and interesting. Instead of crunching numbers, it felt more like a collection of artists or musicians collaborating to give birth to a creative expression. Foster set the stage by explaining that it was just a matter of time before adversaries of the United States could inhibit the ability to deploy long-range sensors and weapons systems effectively. To counter this emerging threat, these Lockheed Martin executives were investigating a wide array of surveillance and weapons platforms, including airships.
“I can’t begin to tell you how surprised I was to get your call, Josef,” Foster’s eyes lit up at the memory. “We'd sold our stake in the LMH-1 years ago, and we thought we would have to start from scratch to develop a low-altitude hybrid platform with sufficient range and cargo capacity to operate over long durations in a littoral combat environment.”
Ranell understood that the thrust of this discussion was to be about how to turn a cargo airship into a warship. I don’t care about that, he thought. I’ve got no special love for airships. I’m just trying to stave off bankruptcy. If a warship is what they want, that’s what I’ll give ‘em.
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