Lockheed Martin has appointed industry leaders OJ Sanchez and Mike Shoemaker as vice president and general manager of Skunk Works and Integrated Fighter Group, respectively.
“With their combined experience, OJ and Mike will work closely together – and with our broader team – to drive innovation and strategy across platforms, across Aeronautics and across the corporation,” said Greg Ulmer, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said in a statement published Monday.
Ulmer noted that the leaders will help advance Lockheed’s efforts in developing and delivering airpower capabilities integration across all domains.
OJ Sanchez to Oversee Skunk Works
The newly appointed Skunk Works chief succeeds John Clark, who was named senior VP for technology and strategic innovation in December.
In this capacity, Sanchez will advance technology development and integration efforts across a diverse set of classified military programs.
He most recently served as head of Lockheed’s Integrated Fighter Group, where he worked with the Air Force to sustain and improve the F-22 fighter jet for current and future deterrence.
In 2014, he joined Lockheed after a career in the Air Force, where he served as an F-22 pilot.
Mike Shoemaker to Lead Integrated Fighter Group
In this role, Shoemaker will manage the development, production and sustainment of the F-16 and F-22 programs and the T-50, F-21, F-2 and KF-21 aircraft.
Prior to succeeding Sanchez in the position, he was VP for F-35 customer programs for three years and provided strategic direction for F-35 U.S. services, foreign military sale customer relationships and international program teams.
In 2018, he joined Lockheed after 35 years of service in the U.S. Navy, where he held several leadership roles in naval aviation, including commander of Naval Air Forces.
In a LinkedIn post published Monday, Shoemaker announced his new position and expressed his appreciation to his former F-35 customer programs team at Lockheed.
“A little about the remarkable organization I’m joining: the IFG, comprised of the F-16, F-22, T-50, and other international partnerships, truly embodies its ‘stronger together’ motto with its decades-long, world-wide relationships, innovative solutions spanning multiple platforms, and talented and dedicated team who closely collaborates across multiple organizations to deliver premier defense capabilities where they’re needed most,” the Lockheed executive stated.
