Lockheed Martin Will Build Four Vectis Drone Prototypes

Lockheed Martin has confirmed planned to build four additional prototypes of its new Vectis uncrewed air system as part of preparations to start flight testing by the end of 2027. The U.S. defense giant exhibited a full-scale model of the Group 5 collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) contender at the Air & Space Forces Association conference, which opened on Monday.

According to Lockheed Martin, engineers with its Skunk Works unit took just two months to get the Vectis design from a first drawing to wind tunnel evaluations. The company reported that the first digital build was achieved in six months and the first part was ready in eight months.

It is now 12 months since Lockheed Martin announced plans for the Vectis, pitching the large drone, with a 38-foot wingspan, as a part of a CCA offering alongside its F-35 piloted fighter. Assembly of the first prototype is now underway for a design that has no tail, a recessed air intake in the upper fuselage and an internal weapons bay.

The Vectis’ single engine is expected to be the Williams International FJ44-4 turbofan. Lockheed Martin is pitching the drone for the U.S. Air Force’s anticipated Agile Combat Employment requirements, rather than the Massed Modular Aircraft drone contest being contested by General Atomics and start-ups including Swarm Aero.