; Whereas the U–2 became one of the most important intelligence tools during the Cold War and continues to be a critical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance asset for the United States military; Whereas, in 1964, the Skunk Works first flew the SR–71 Blackbird, which is the reigning world record holder for speed over a straight course at 2,193.167 miles per hour and served the United States Air Force from 1966 until 1998; Whereas, in 1964, the Skunk Works flew the first-ever high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle, the D–21, which was launched from an SR–71; Whereas, in 1976, the Skunk Works began production of a stealth fighter named Have Blue, which went on to become the F–117, the first operational stealth aircraft; Whereas, during the entirety of the Cold War, the Skunk Works was located in Burbank, California; Whereas, after 1989, Lockheed relocated the Skunk Works to Site 10 at United States Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, where the Skunk Works remains in operation today with more than 2,700 employees; Whereas the Skunk Works, in partnership with Edwards Air Force Base, has developed and tested aircraft including the U–2, the SR–71, the F–117, the YF–22, and the X–35, as well as other classified projects, in Antelope Valley, California; Whereas, in 2008, the Skunk Works became the only aerospace company ever to receive the highest national honor for technological achievement, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation; Whereas, the Skunk Works was awarded a Collier Trophy, the most prestigious award in aviation in the United States— (1) in 1958, for the F–104; (2) in 1963, for the A–11; (3) in 1989, for the F–117A; (4) in 1998, for the U–2S/ER–2; (5) in 2002, for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)/X–35; (6) in 2006, for the F–22; and (7) in 2013, for the X–47B; and Whereas, today, the Skunk Works designs, develops, and rapidly produces advanced manned and unmanned technologies, serving both military and commercial concerns: Now, therefore, be it