Lockheed Aircraft Company

The Lockheed Aircraft Company is an American aerospace manufacturer that developed advanced military aircraft and became involved in a bribe scandal affecting Israeli 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.²

Israeli Bribery Scandal

In 1976, a telegram intercepted by Unit 8200 revealed details of bribes paid by a Lockheed representative in Israel to Defense Minister Shimon Peres. The sum involved was $3.5 million, deposited in one of Peres's brother's business accounts in Europe. This information, discovered by Ari Ben-Menashe, was subsequently covered up by Israeli military intelligence superiors, including Col. Ben-Porat and Lt. Col. Yishaek.¹