'Engineered for affordability': Lockheed Martin says Vectis stealth combat drone family will come before 2028 — promotion videos show two hidden missile bays

Lockheed Vectis carries its air-to-air and strike weapons inside the aircraft Lockheed expects the first Vectis prototype to fly in 2027 The aircraft measures roughly 34 feet long with a 38-foot wingspan Lockheed Martin has released promotional footage offering a clearer look at Vectis, its proposed stealth Collaborative Combat Aircraft for future operations.

The company says the aircraft is intended for autonomous missions alongside crewed fighters, including the F-35 and future combat platforms.

Lockheed expects the first Vectis prototype to fly in 2027, with four additional aircraft now entering development and testing.

Vectis reveals its internal weapons arrangement New computer-generated imagery shows a deeply recessed intake above the fuselage, indicating significant attention to the aircraft's signature characteristics.

The footage also depicts Vectis launching AIM-120 missiles and GBU-53 Small Diameter Bomb IIs from internal weapons compartments.

Keeping those weapons inside the aircraft allows the illustrated configuration to avoid exposing them on external attachment points during missions.

The arrangement supports the stealth requirements associated with the aircraft, although Lockheed has released few detailed performance specifications for Vectis.

The company describes Vectis as an autonomous aircraft capable of operating independently or cooperating with crewed aircraft during demanding missions.

It also displayed a full-scale mock-up measuring about 34 feet long with a wingspan of approximately 38 feet.

Those dimensions establish the physical size of the aircraft, while important information about propulsion, payload and other systems remains undisclosed.

Ron Fehlen, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of Skunk Works, said the design responds to demanding customer requirements.

“The technical specs, as you can imagine, are designed to meet and, in some cases, exceed the customer sets that we are working with and their requirements and their mission needs,” said Fehlen.

Affordability remains central to the Increment 2 effort Lockheed claims the aircraft is survivable, affordable, and adaptable across different missions, without disclosing its projected production cost.

“Engineered for affordability and built for survivability, it delivers the flexibility today’s operational environment demands.