Lockheed RTP 2026 Hiring

Intelligence Summary: Lockheed RTP 2026 Hiring

Node Identity: The Lockheed RTP 2026 Hiring node represents the continued recruitment by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® Power & Plasma Team at Palmdale, California, through 2026—six years after the public 'cancellation' of the CFR program in 2020. The hiring activity confirms that the classified successor program is alive and actively expanding.

Strategic Relevance: The continued hiring for 'future air platforms' and 'generation-after-next capabilities' directly contradicts the narrative that the CFR program was cancelled. The Power & Plasma Team's recruitment focus—15-30 years in the future—indicates a long-term classified platform development program that extends well beyond the F-47 NGAD timeline. This hiring pattern is the strongest open-source evidence that the CFR program continued under classified auspices as the RTP Portfolio, with the $1.6B in classified aeronautics program losses (2024-2025) representing the financial footprint of this continued development.

Technical Focus / Capabilities:

• Power & Plasma Team: Specialized hiring for plasma physics, compact fusion, and power systems expertise at Palmdale Skunk Works.
• 'Future Air Platforms': Job descriptions reference platforms beyond current generation aircraft, indicating development of next-generation aerospace vehicles.
• 'Generation-After-Next Capabilities': Explicitly positioned beyond F-47 NGAD—the next-generation fighter that Boeing won. Skunk Works is developing capabilities beyond conventional turbine aircraft.
• '15-30 Years in the Future': Long-term technology development horizon, consistent with revolutionary (not evolutionary) platform development.
• Continued Recruitment (2026): 6 years after CFR 'cancellation' (2020), confirming program continuation under classified status.

Network Linkage: The Lockheed RTP 2026 Hiring node connects to multiple classified program indicators. The CFR Program connection confirms that RTP is still hiring 6 years after CFR cancellation—the program is alive. The Skunk Works connection places the hiring at Palmdale, the same facility that opened Building 648 SCIF in August 2021. The nimitz-uap-loiter connection suggests the 'generation-after-next capabilities' correspond to the orb-class platform observed in UAP encounters. The F-47 NGAD connection is critical: F-47 is next-gen (Boeing won), while the Power & Plasma Team is 'generation-after-next'—BEYOND F-47. The Node16BClassifiedProgram connection confirms the $1.6B in losses corresponds to the classified program the Power & Plasma Team is developing. The RTP Portfolio connection confirms that Chase founded RTP and the Power & Plasma Team (2026 hiring) represents the continuation of Chase's organization.