Kelly Johnson

American aeronautical engineer who founded Lockheed's Skunk Works advanced development program and led the design of the U-2 spy plane, SR-71 Blackbird, and other classified aircraft — creating the most productive advanced engineering program in aerospace history.

Invented the Skunk Works operating model — small elite team, minimal bureaucracy, direct access to decision-makers, relentless speed — and applied it to create the U-2 and SR-71, aircraft that remain technically astonishing 70 years later.