Lockheed Martin says Vectis drone family will come before 2028

TechRadar reports that Lockheed Martin has released promotional footage of Vectis, its proposed stealth Collaborative Combat Aircraft for future Air Force operations. The company says Vectis is designed for autonomous missions alongside crewed aircraft, including the F-35, but detailed performance specifications remain undisclosed.

Lockheed expects the first Vectis prototype to fly in 2027, with four additional aircraft entering development and testing. Computer-generated imagery shows a recessed intake above the fuselage. The footage also depicts Vectis launching AIM-120 missiles and GBU-53 Small Diameter Bomb IIs from two internal weapons bays, an arrangement intended to support the aircraft’s stealth requirements.

A full-scale mock-up measures about 34 feet long with an approximately 38-foot wingspan. Information about propulsion, payload, and other systems has not been released. Ron Fehlen, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of Skunk Works, said the design is intended to meet or exceed customer requirements.

Vectis is being developed for the Air Force’s Increment 2 requirement after Lockheed lost the earlier Increment 1 competition to Anduril’s FQ-42 and General Atomics’ FQ-44. Lockheed says it reduced complexity and cost, but Increment 2 requirements remain under development. Earlier Increment 1 requirements called for more than 700 nautical miles of combat radius, while the later requirement could demand greater performance.