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Private Organization | The Lockheed Aircraft Company is an USA aerospace manufacturer that developed advanced military aircraft and became involved in a bribe scandal affecting Israel politics. | 1926 | 1995 | Burbank, California, USA |
The Lockheed Aircraft Company is an United States aerospace manufacturer that developed advanced military aircraft and became involved in a bribe scandal affecting Israel politics.
U-2 Spy Plane Development
Lockheed built the revolutionary U-2 Spy Plane under cover in Burbank, California. This aircraft was capable of flying and gliding for almost eleven hours at heights greater than 65,000 feet, covering more than five thousand miles, while utilizing only one thousand gallons of fuel. Special lenses, cameras, and thin film were developed for the U-2, enabling it to photograph a path from Moscow to Tashkent in one take.1
Israeli Bribery Scandal
In 1976, a telegram intercepted by Unit 8200 revealed details of bribes paid by a Lockheed Aircraft Company representative in Israel to Defense Minister Shimon Peres. The sum involved was $3.5 million, deposited in one of Shimon Peres brother's business accounts in Europe. This information, discovered by Ari Ben-Menashe, was subsequently covered up by Israel military intelligence superiors, including Yoel Ben-Porat and Sasson Yishaek.2