Aircraft & UAVs

Lockheed Martin Vectis

Also known as
  • Vectis
  • Vectis CCA
  • Lockheed Martin Vectis CCA
  • Skunk Works Vectis

Lockheed Martin Vectis is a Skunk Works autonomous uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft announced in 2025 as a Group 5 CCA concept. Public disclosures describe a runway-based, reusable aircraft meant to operate independently or with crewed fighters such as the F-35 and F-22, using open architecture, a Williams FJ44-4 turbofan prototype engine, and a 2027 first-flight target; no combat use is confirmed.

Lockheed Martin Vectis, Group 5 collaborative combat aircraft concept, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Vectis product page

Role in Conflicts

2015 Various Conflicts
Side
Unconfirmed conflict context

Exact model: Lockheed Martin Vectis collaborative combat aircraft / Group 5 CCA concept. It was unveiled as a future uncrewed combat aircraft and has no confirmed combat use.

Disclosed Design Notes

Lockheed's public materials frame Vectis as a survivable, affordable collaborative combat aircraft rather than a fielded system.

Mission package

Public materials describe precision strike, ISR targeting, electronic warfare, and offensive and defensive counter-air missions.

Crewed-uncrewed teaming

Lockheed says the aircraft can fly independently or team with crewed fighters; independent reporting says company analysis paired Vectis with F-22 and F-35 aircraft.

Open architecture

The design is described as aligned to Government Reference Architectures to reduce vendor lock and support later payload or mission-system updates.

Program status

Development is under way, parts have been ordered, the prototype is planned around a Williams FJ44-4 engine, and first flight is targeted for 2027.

Disclosed limits

Public disclosures leave hard dimensions, payload capacity, combat radius, production quantity, unit price, and any operational customer unidentified.

Sources: Vectis announcement; Vectis prototype powering up; Air & Space Forces Vectis briefing; Breaking Defense Vectis runway report.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Built by
Skunk Works
Type
Group 5 collaborative combat aircraft concept
Service note
2025-present
Designer
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
Designed
2025
Unit cost
Lockheed says Vectis will be offered at a CCA price point, but no public dollar figure has been disclosed.

Specifications

Classification
Group 5 uncrewed aircraft system / collaborative combat aircraft
Group 5 class
Reported class covers aircraft weighing more than 1,320 lb and normally operating above 18,000 ft
Propulsion
Williams International FJ44-4 turbofan
Prototype thrust
More than 3,600 lb of thrust from the FJ44-4 turbofan, according to Lockheed's prototype-engine update
Mission set
Precision strike, ISR targeting, electronic warfare, and offensive and defensive counter-air
Teaming
Designed to fly independently or with crewed aircraft; public reporting identifies F-35 and F-22 teaming analysis
Architecture
Open systems aligned to Government Reference Architectures
Theater fit
Lockheed says the design is sized for Indo-Pacific, European, and Central Command theaters
Basing
Reported as runway-dependent in its current iteration, with maintainability planned for deployed environments
Speed disclosure
Lockheed did not release a top speed; company briefing comments said operational analysis did not point toward supersonic speed as a requirement
Relative size
Reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine as between Lockheed's Common Multi-Mission Truck missile and an F-16
Crewed Aircraft Teaming

Lockheed presents Vectis as a collaborative aircraft that can operate independently or alongside crewed fighters.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
F-35 Lightning II, Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter, Aircraft & UAVsF-35 Lightning IICrewed fighter

Lockheed says Vectis is designed to team with crewed aircraft like the F-35 and integrate into a crewed-uncrewed force mix.

Sources: Vectis announcement

F-22 Raptor, Fifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsF-22 RaptorCrewed fighter

Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that Lockheed had conducted classified crewed-uncrewed teaming analysis pairing F-22s and F-35s with Vectis.

Sources: Air & Space Forces Vectis briefing

Why this matters

Vectis is being marketed as a companion aircraft for existing fighter fleets rather than a stand-alone replacement.

Sources: Vectis announcement

Timeline

Lockheed Martin Vectis Key Events

  1. Public unveiling

    Lockheed Martin introduced Vectis as a Group 5 survivable and lethal collaborative combat aircraft and said it would be offered at a CCA price point.

    Sources: Vectis announcement

  2. Prototype engine disclosed

    Lockheed said the Vectis prototype would fly with a Williams International FJ44-4 turbofan producing more than 3,600 lb of thrust.

    Sources: Vectis prototype powering up

  3. Target first flight

    Lockheed says the Vectis demonstrator is on a design-build-fly path targeting first flight in 2027, with the prototype planned to fly with a Williams FJ44-4 turbofan.

    Sources: Vectis prototype powering up

Media

Lockheed Martin Vectis Videos

Lockheed Martin Vectis Images

Lockheed Martin Vectis, Group 5 collaborative combat aircraft concept, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: Vectis product page
Lockheed Martin Vectis, Group 5 collaborative combat aircraft concept, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: Vectis product page
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Sources

Vectis product pagePublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports the official product description, crewed-aircraft teaming claims, open-architecture language, and product-page image provenance for Vectis. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Vectis announcementPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports the September 21, 2025 introduction, Group 5 CCA framing, mission set, crewed-teaming language, theater-range context, CCA price-point language, and release-artwork provenance for Vectis. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Vectis prototype powering upPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports the Williams FJ44-4 turbofan fit, the 2027 first-flight target, the design-build-fly update, and feature-image provenance for Vectis. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Air & Space Forces Vectis briefingPublisher: Air & Space Forces Magazine | Note: Supports independent reporting from the September 2025 unveiling, including F-22/F-35 teaming analysis, relative size, non-supersonic requirement comments, and CCA Increment 2 context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Breaking Defense Vectis runway reportPublisher: Breaking Defense | Note: Supports independent reporting that Vectis had not flown as of its public unveiling, was runway-dependent in its current iteration, was designed for deployed maintainability, and could fit a future CCA increment depending on Air Force requirements. | Accessed: 2026-07-04