U.S. Lockheed Martin Expands Vectis Program to Add Autonomous Combat Options Alongside F-35 Fighters.

Lockheed Martin is adding four Vectis prototypes, expanding the planned fleet to five aircraft ahead of first flight in 2027. The larger test fleet is intended to accelerate development, validate production methods, and position the platform for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft requirements.

Vectis is a Group 5 tailless combat drone measuring about 10.4 meters long with an 11.6-meter wingspan, designed for air-to-air, air-to-ground, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions alongside crewed aircraft such as the F-35. The additional prototypes will support broader flight and manufacturing trials as Lockheed Martin develops the aircraft for future U.S. and allied combat aviation needs.

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Lockheed Martin Vectis is shown in a promotional video released by the company. The unmanned combat aircraft is being developed for autonomous multirole operations alongside crewed platforms. (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

The four additional airframes are already under development and will complement the prototype currently in production. Ron Fehlen, vice president and general manager of Skunk Works, said they are expected to move through the manufacturing cycle more quickly than the initial aircraft, increasing the number of available test platforms while refining production methods. Vectis has been presented since September 2025 as an internally funded program aimed in part at the Collaborative Combat Aircraft market.

In a statement released by Lockheed Martin on September 14, 2026, during the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, the company also presented a full-scale Vectis model for the first time. The aircraft is approximately 34 feet, or 10.4 meters, long and has a wingspan of about 38 feet, or 11.6 meters. It is classified as a Group 5 unmanned aircraft and uses a tailless configuration with a lambda-type wing. A submerged air intake is positioned on the upper surface of the airframe, an arrangement intended to reduce drag and limit debris ingestion when operating from rough or degraded runways.

Lockheed Martin has not yet disclosed radar cross-section figures, engine specifications, combat radius, or payload capacity. Company imagery nevertheless shows an internal weapons bay. In a new promotional video, Vectis appears to launch a weapon with a profile resembling an AIM-120 AMRAAM, while another sequence shows what could be a pair of GBU-53/B SDB II StormBreaker munitions. The video also shows two weapons loaded inside the internal bay. These identifications are based on visual characteristics, and Lockheed Martin has not confirmed that these specific weapons form part of the aircraft's intended loadout. The video also shows a sensor turret housed within a faceted enclosure, although the available imagery does not allow the system to be identified precisely.

Lockheed Martin promotional footage shows Vectis employing weapons from its internal bay, including what appears to be an AIM-120 air-to-air missile and guided bombs resembling GBU-53/B StormBreaker munitions. (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

Autonomous functions are linked in part to Lockheed Martin's MDCX command-and-control environment, which has also been used in work associated with the U.S. Navy's MQ-25 Stingray. Skunk Works states that the program moved from its first design drawing to wind-tunnel testing in less than two months, completed the initial digital build in six months, and released the first production part after eight months. The company is also using a process known as minimal tooling determinate assembly to reduce alignment work and manual labor. According to Fehlen, the method has reduced assembly labor hours by as much as 80 percent in some cases.

Operationally, Vectis is positioned as a multirole combat aircraft rather than solely as an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform. Lockheed Martin identifies air-to-air, air-to-ground, and ISR missions, with the aircraft intended to operate either from a ground control station or alongside crewed aircraft such as the F-35. A pilot could assign tasks to the drone through a simplified interface, after which the aircraft would execute parts of the mission autonomously. This arrangement could allow sensors or weapons to be positioned farther forward while adding combat mass without exposing another crewed aircraft. Its operational value will nevertheless depend on payload capacity, data-link resilience, electronic-warfare performance, and the degree of autonomy authorized for operational missions.

Vectis does not directly replicate the FQ-42 from General Atomics or the FQ-44 from Anduril selected for the first increment of the U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. Those two aircraft are initially focused on air-to-air missions and on providing additional combat mass at a controlled cost, with the Air Force setting a target of around $20 million per air vehicle. Lockheed Martin, by contrast, presents Vectis as a broader multirole and survivable platform covering air-to-ground and ISR tasks in addition to air combat. The four extra prototypes could therefore allow Skunk Works to prepare the aircraft for broader requirements in future CCA increments or for other customers.

Vectis reflects the broader transition toward distributed air combat in which autonomous survivable aircraft increase the reach and available mass of formations built around crewed fighters. If Lockheed Martin can keep the platform within a cost range compatible with the CCA market while integrating it with U.S. and allied command networks, Vectis could become part of future air combat architectures in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Such a development would provide coalition forces with additional options in heavily contested environments while also increasing pressure on potential adversaries to invest in electronic warfare, air defense, and systems designed to detect and engage low-signature autonomous aircraft.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in Security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.