UnLAB
ORGANISATION dossier

UnLAB LLC

UnLAB LLC

ORGANISATION Gray Track (Exotic) GRAY TRACK EXOTIC Also: UnLAB, The UnLAB

01 Executive_Summary

NSF-funded "edge physics" gray track firm (Charles Chase) focused on quantum vacuum energy.

03 Deep_Dive_Intelligence

Intelligence Summary: UnLAB LLC (Node Analysis)

1. Node Definition: UnLAB LLC (and its parallel 501(c)(3) entity, Unlab Inc.) is a sophisticated "Gray Track" research organization founded in June 2023 by former Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® program manager Charles Chase. Based in Savannah, Georgia, UnLAB operates under a bifurcated corporate architecture designed for maximum operational security (OPSEC). The non-profit arm (Unlab Inc.) serves as a public-facing vehicle for conferences (e.g., the APE series) and outreach, while the for-profit LLC acts as the operational entity for government-funded research and proprietary IP development. It is often associated with the placeholder or "ghost" entity name "CBH Technologies" in Chase's public biographies to minimize its corporate signature.

2. Relevance to CFR and Exotic Propulsion: UnLAB is a primary convergent node in the clandestine aerospace nexus, representing the technological evolution of the "White Track" (speculative vacuum physics) into a hardware-focused methodology characteristic of the "Black Track" (FRC hardware).

  • Core Technology: "Fluctuation Flow Propulsion," an experimental approach aiming to extract motive force from quantum vacuum fluctuations.
  • Technical Mechanism: The use of asymmetric nanostructures and potentials found in Resonant Tunneling Diodes (RTDs) to engineer the vacuum at a solid-state level.
  • Strategic Hedge: UnLAB serves as a high-risk/high-reward hedge against the immense engineering challenges of plasma-based Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) reactors. By pursuing a solid-state, propellantless propulsion system, UnLAB seeks to leapfrog the stability issues inherent in magnetic confinement fusion.

3. Mission Synthesis: While the entity utilizes a cover story of "next-generation lighting technology," its verified mission involves cross-disciplinary fusion of next-generation physics, metamaterials (led by co-founder Catherine McKinnon), and analog computation. This approach addresses the fabrication of sub-wavelength structures required to produce localized, non-uniform electromagnetic fields for propulsive thrust.

04 Network_Linkage

UnLAB LLC serves as the operational vehicle for Charles Chase, who transitioned from managing the 'Revolutionary Technology Programs' at Skunk Works® to act as UnLAB’s Founder and Principal Investigator. This transition facilitated the transfer of 'tribal knowledge' from the 'Black Track' into a more agile, deniable 'Gray Track' environment. The National Science Foundation (NSF) functions as the primary strategic funder and incubator for this node; specifically, UnLAB LLC is the recipient of NSF SBIR Phase I award 2432831 (approx. $275,000). The NSF, via Program Director Anna Brady-Estevez, acts as a 'network-weaver,' placing UnLAB in contact with other 'Gray Track' entities like Field Propulsion Technologies Inc. to foster dual-use technological convergence.

05 Related_Entities (12)

06 Research_Findings (5)

Finding FPT_AdvancedPropulsion_2024.md

# Findings: FPT AdvancedPropulsion 2024 **Source PDF:** `FPT_AdvancedPropulsion_2024.pdf` **Date range:** 1990-2025 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This 2024 intelligence assessment analyzes the global landscape of advanced propulsion technologies, focusing on Field Propulsion Technologies Inc. and its Department of Defense-funded research into propellant-less systems. The report details various clandestine R&D tracks involving metamaterials and plasma physics while evaluating the strategic

View Source PDF → FPT AdvancedPropulsion 2024
Finding GlobalEnergyCorp_LCF_Research_2024.md

# Findings: GlobalEnergyCorp LCF Research 2024 **Source PDF:** `GlobalEnergyCorp_LCF_Research_2024.pdf` **Date range:** 2013-2024 **Source org:** SNL ## Summary This dossier analyzes the research of physicist Larry Forsley and Global Energy Corporation regarding Lattice Confinement Fusion (LCF) and hybrid fusion-fission reactors from 2018 to 2024. It details how federal agencies like NASA and the National Science Foundation are cultivating a 'gray track' ecosystem to develop disruptive energ

View Source PDF → GlobalEnergyCorp LCF Research 2024
Finding LANL_FRC_Fusion_Propulsion_History_2005.md

# Findings: LANL FRC Fusion Propulsion History 2005 **Source PDF:** `LANL_FRC_Fusion_Propulsion_History_2005.pdf` **Date range:** 1977-2024 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This intelligence assessment analyzes the foundational academic and institutional networks behind Field-Reversed Configurations and Magnetized Target Fusion research conducted by Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA, and Soviet institutes prior to 2005. The report details the transfer of human capital and technology from g

View Source PDF → LANL FRC Fusion Propulsion History 2005
Finding LockheedMartin_CharlesChase_CFR_2024.md

# Findings: LockheedMartin CharlesChase CFR 2024 **Source PDF:** `LockheedMartin_CharlesChase_CFR_2024.pdf` **Date range:** 2008-2025 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This intelligence profile provides an assessment of Charles Chase, a former Lockheed Martin Skunk Works manager, regarding his role in the clandestine Compact Fusion Reactor program. The report concludes that Chase’s 2013 public statements served as a sanctioned 'soft disclosure' of the program's core technical concepts, which w

View Source PDF → LockheedMartin CharlesChase CFR 2024
Finding LockheedMartin_ClandestineAerospaceProgram_2024.md

# Findings: LockheedMartin ClandestineAerospaceProgram 2024 **Source PDF:** `LockheedMartin_ClandestineAerospaceProgram_2024.pdf` **Date range:** 1975-2024 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This intelligence assessment analyzes the roles of key personnel and the tripartite organizational structure governing clandestine U.S. advanced aerospace initiatives, specifically focusing on the Compact Fusion Reactor and quantum vacuum propulsion. Produced in 2024, the report details how entities like Lo

View Source PDF → LockheedMartin ClandestineAerospaceProgram 2024

07 Key_Findings

  • ### Intelligence Summary: UnLAB LLC **Strategic Role:** UnLAB LLC (and its associated non-profit 501(c)(3) arm, Unlab Inc.
  • ) is assessed as the primary "Gray Track" successor entity to the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR) program.
  • It represents a strategic pivot: attempting to achieve the ambitious propulsion goals of the NAVAIR "White Track" (Pais Effect) using the disciplined, hardware-focused methodology of the Skunk Works lineage.

08 Intelligence_Analysis

Intelligence Summary: UnLAB LLC

Strategic Role: UnLAB LLC (and its associated non-profit 501(c)(3) arm, Unlab Inc.) is assessed as the primary "Gray Track" successor entity to the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR) program. While the original "Black Track" (hardware development) has entered a compartmentalized flight-testing phase, UnLAB functions as an agile, deniable research vector tasked with bridging the gap between theoretical vacuum engineering and operational hardware. It represents a strategic pivot: attempting to achieve the ambitious propulsion goals of the NAVAIR "White Track" (Pais Effect) using the disciplined, hardware-focused methodology of the Skunk Works lineage.

Operational Evolution: Founded by Charles Chase, the former lead for Revolutionary Technology Programs at Skunk Works® and the original 2013 public messenger for the CFR program, UnLAB provides the U.S. government with a high-risk/high-reward technological hedge. By operating outside the heavy overhead of prime defense contracts and utilizing Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) mechanisms, UnLAB can pursue "frontier physics" with a level of scientific agility impossible within the traditional defense industrial base. The entity's bifurcated structure (Non-Profit for outreach/LLC for contracts) is a classic counter-intelligence signature designed to manage information leakage while maintaining access to federal funding.

Core Objective: The entity is currently focused on "Fluctuation Flow Propulsion." This concept seeks to extract motive force directly from quantum vacuum fluctuations, moving beyond plasma-based FRC propulsion into solid-state, materials-based spacetime manipulation. This represents the next-generation maturation of the "Trivergence Protocol," transitioning from active plasma confinement to passive/active interaction with vacuum energy via engineered nanostructures.

09 Timeline_Mentions (9)

2014

Project Trivergence Bifurcation

The U.S. Trivergence Protocol program splits into a 'black track' at Skunk Works and a 'gray track' ecosystem including UnLAB and Field Propulsion Technologies.

defense-programs
2018

Charles Chase retires from Lockheed Skunk Works

Chase departs as Senior Tech Fellow. Founds UnLAB for quantum vacuum propulsion. CFR cancelled within 2 years.

key-figures
2019

Unlab Inc. Granted Tax-Exempt Status

Charles Chase's non-profit entity, Unlab Inc., is granted 501(c)(3) status in Savannah, Georgia.

historical-context
2023

UnLAB LLC Founded

Charles Chase establishes UnLAB LLC as a for-profit R&D entity to receive government contracts for advanced propulsion.

personnel
2024

Chase resume reveals RTP portfolio: Compact Fusion, plasma systems, 'can't-believe-it's-possible' propulsion

Explicit technology list: Compact Fusion, plasma power, novel beams, breakthrough propulsion. Chase + Puthoff at NSF meeting. RTP = $15M/year, 50+ team members.

defense-programs
2024

US Space Disruptors Day

Richard Banduric (FPT) and Charles Chase (UnLAB) present in the same NSF-curated session, confirming a government-managed community of practice for exotic propulsion.

historical-context
2024

UnLAB NSF SBIR Award

Charles Chase's UnLAB receives an NSF award for 'Fluctuation Flow Propulsion' to extract force from the quantum vacuum.

fusion-physics
2024

UnLAB Receives NSF SBIR Award

UnLAB LLC is awarded an NSF SBIR grant for 'Fluctuation Flow Propulsion' using quantum vacuum fluctuations and nanostructures.

defense-programs
2024

Clandestine Flight Tests and a New "Gray Track"

A convergence of evidence indicates the Skunk Works® CFR orb program entered a high-risk flight test phase. This was marked by UAP sightings with non-inertial kinematics over Palmdale, followed by ove

View Full Timeline →

10 FAQ

What is UnLAB LLC?
NSF-funded "edge physics" gray track firm (Charles Chase) focused on quantum vacuum energy.
What is UnLAB LLC connected to?
UnLAB LLC is connected to 12 related entities in the intelligence network, including Charles Chase, National Science Foundation, Limitless Space Institute. These connections are documented through shared source documents, co-occurrence in research findings, and network graph relationships.
When did UnLAB LLC appear in the research timeline?
UnLAB LLC is referenced in 9 timeline events, including "Project Trivergence Bifurcation" (2014). The full timeline provides chronological context for all documented activities.
What source documents are available for UnLAB LLC?
7 source documents are available in the research archive, including primary source PDFs from defense research collections. These documents provide the evidentiary basis for the intelligence assessment.
What does the deep dive analysis reveal about UnLAB LLC?
The deep dive intelligence assessment provides a comprehensive analysis of UnLAB LLC, covering strategic role, network connections, and operational significance. The analysis is derived from 7 primary source documents and cross-referenced with the network graph.

External_References 4 REFS

unlab.us — Chase resume (2024 version) url ↗
unlab.us/unlab-llc/ — commercial arm description url ↗
DARPA/DSO QUEST program ref
LSI — Limitless Space Institute programs page ref

Citations 3

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
  3. [3] (2021)

Geographic_Data

Region: US-GA
Location: Savannah
Coordinates: 32.080;-81.091
ID: UnLAB
Type: organisation
Region: main
Last updated: 2026-08-09