Obama announces: 'We are building Iron Man'

President tells a busy press conference of the government's 'top secret' project

(Getty Images)

President Barack Obama made a surprise announcement at a recent manufacturing innovation event at the White House, when he revealed details of a top-secret government project.

"Basically I'm here to announce that we are building Iron Man", the president told journalists gathered at a busy press conference, who were expecting a speech on the creation of "Manufacturing Innovation Institutes" in Chicago and Detroit.

Amid bursts of laughter, Obama added: "I'm gonna blast off in a second.”

The president then confirmed this was just a joke - or was it? "This has been a secret project we've been working on for a long time”, he explained, laughing. But then he remarked: “Not really. Maybe. It's classified."

The institutes are being built to develop cutting-edge technologies for creating commercial products.

It remains to be seen if the high-tech Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit worn by Tony Stark will be among those products.