- Skunk Works Unveils “Vectis”: Lockheed Martin’s secretive Skunk Works division has revealed a new stealth autonomous drone named Vectis, a large Group 5 unmanned combat aircraft slated for its first flight by 2027 breakingdefense.com.
- Stealthy & Customizable: Vectis features a tailless, “lambda”-wing design with a top-mounted inlet, optimized for low radar signature (stealth). Its architecture is modular and open, allowing different payloads (air-to-air missiles, bombs, sensors, etc.) and easy integration with various platforms breakingdefense.com twz.com.
- Multi-Role Capability: Designed as a reusable “loyal wingman” for fighter jets, Vectis can perform air-to-air combat, precision strike (air-to-ground), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions breakingdefense.com. It has the endurance and range for theaters like the Indo-Pacific and Europe, indicating long-range mission capability twz.com theaviationist.com.
- “CCA-Plus” Drone: While not built for a specific program, Vectis aligns with the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) concept – drones that team with manned fighters. Lockheed says Vectis offers “best-in-class survivability at a CCA price point,” implying high stealth and performance at an affordable cost breakingdefense.com twz.com. It’s smaller than an F-16 but larger than prior Lockheed test drones, fitting a new niche between expendable and exquisite defenseone.com.
- Strategic Impact: Vectis is poised to augment U.S. and allied airpower, teaming with F-35s, F-22s, and future sixth-gen fighters breakingdefense.com. It represents a major step in manned-unmanned teaming, promising to expand combat reach, protect human pilots, and perform high-risk tasks. Its emergence enters a competitive field alongside Boeing’s MQ-25 and MQ-28, Northrop’s secret RQ-180, and China’s and Russia’s stealth drones, potentially reshaping future air combat dynamics theaviationist.com twz.com.
Lockheed’s “Vectis” – A New Era for Stealth Drones
Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works – known for iconic secret projects like the U-2 and F-117 – has lifted the veil on a new stealth drone that could revolutionize future air warfare. Dubbed “Vectis” (Latin for “lever,” reflecting the leverage it gives commanders twz.com), the jet-black unmanned aircraft was unveiled ahead of the Air & Space Forces Association conference in September 2025. Skunk Works officials describe Vectis as a “survivable, lethal, and reusable” autonomous drone that embodies decades of Lockheed’s expertise in stealth technology, advanced fighters, and uncrewed systems theaviationist.com theaviationist.com.
OJ Sanchez, Vice President and General Manager of Skunk Works, said Vectis will fly within two years – by late 2027 – with its first prototype already in the works breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com. “We’re in progress now on the Vectis prototype… parts are ordered, the team is in work, and we intend to fly in the next two years,” Sanchez confirmed defenseone.com. This ambitious timeline is enabled by Lockheed self-funding the project, using digital design and manufacturing techniques borrowed from next-gen fighter programs to accelerate development theaviationist.com theaviationist.com. In short, Skunk Works is betting big on Vectis as the vanguard of a new paradigm in air combat.
Stealthy Design and Advanced Specs
Vectis’s design is shaped for stealth. Artist renderings show a tailless aircraft with a lambda-shaped wing (a cranked delta wing) and a dorsal air intake on top of the fuselage twz.com airandspaceforces.com. The nose has a sharp, shovel-like profile with pronounced chines (edge contours), and the body is studded with flush sensor apertures and conformal antennas – all aimed at minimizing radar cross-section twz.com. A Lockheed promotional video even reveals an S-shaped engine inlet duct and shrouded exhaust, features that further reduce the radar and infrared signature twz.com. “Vectis leverages decades of experience in stealth advancement to deliver best-in-CCA-class survivability,” the company touts theaviationist.com. In essence, it’s designed to be hard to detect and hard to kill, even in contested airspace teeming with advanced enemy radars and missiles.
Exact dimensions and performance specs remain classified, but Lockheed has hinted at a few details. Size-wise, Vectis is smaller than an F-16 fighter jet but larger than Lockheed’s experimental “CMMT” drone (a missile-like unmanned vehicle ~8 feet long) defenseone.com. This suggests a medium-sized UCAV perhaps in the range of a jet trainer or business jet. As a Group 5 UAS (the largest class of drones), it will exceed 1,320 pounds and operate above 18,000 feet twz.com. Speed is subsonic – supersonic capability was not a design priority. “Our operational analysis doesn’t point towards supersonic [speed] as needed in this space,” Sanchez noted, indicating Vectis trades extreme speed for endurance and stealth twz.com.
Vectis will be powered by a single jet engine (type undisclosed). Lockheed has not revealed the engine model, but the drone’s configuration and weight class suggest a non-afterburning turbofan similar to those on business jets or trainer aircraft. Notably, Vectis is runway-dependent for takeoff and landing (no vertical lift or carrier catapult launch in the current design) breakingdefense.com. However, it is being engineered for austere operations: the landing gear and structure are rugged enough for dispersed airfields, and the airframe is made of durable, reliable materials for easy maintenance in the field breakingdefense.com twz.com. Sanchez emphasized high reliability and “simplicity of design” to allow quick repairs: critical systems are placed for easy access, and the goal is to achieve “a very high reliability rate” in service twz.com. In practice, that means Vectis can be quickly refueled, rearmed, or even stowed away as needs dictate, with minimal logistical footprint.
Missions: A Versatile “Wingman” in Combat
Lockheed is pitching Vectis as a multi-mission workhorse that can augment human pilots across a range of scenarios. Thanks to an open systems architecture, the drone can carry different payloads and plug into various networks as the mission demands breakingdefense.com. By design, Vectis can rapidly swap or upgrade its sensors and weapons – a flexibility Lockheed calls the “Agile Drone Framework” twz.com. “The design is rapidly upgradable and customizable to align to shifting threat environment priorities,” Sanchez said twz.com twz.com. In practical terms, one Vectis might be configured for air-to-air combat, while another could be optimized for ground attack or electronic warfare, depending on the customer’s needs.
Air-to-Air: In a fighter engagement, Vectis would act as a loyal wingman to manned jets like the F-22 or F-35. Simulation exercises have already “paired” the drone with F-22s/F-35s, showing “impressive” results in cooperative tactics breakingdefense.com twz.com. Lockheed’s concept video depicts a single fighter controlling a swarm of four Vectis drones that fly ahead and fan out as forward scouts airandspaceforces.com. Using on-board sensors (possibly miniaturized radars or infrared search-and-track systems), the drones detect enemy aircraft first, then upon the pilot’s command, launch air-to-air missiles from internal bays to take out the threats twz.com. In essence, Vectis can screen manned fighters from danger, shoot down adversaries, or absorb incoming fire – all while keeping pilots out of harm’s way. By having wingman drones, a fifth-generation fighter could engage multiple targets at once or ambush the enemy without turning on its own radar, preserving its stealth.
Strike Missions: Vectis is equally adept at striking targets on the ground. Lockheed released another scenario showing Vectis drones conducting a coordinated air-to-ground strike on an enemy air defense site twz.com. The drones, presumably using onboard sensors or data linked from other assets, identify the air defense radar and launch precision munitions (possibly small diameter bombs or anti-radiation missiles) to destroy it. With a stealthy profile and no risk to a pilot, Vectis could perform the dangerous first-wave SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) mission, knocking the door down for follow-on strikes. Beyond kinetic strikes, the large payload bay could carry electronic warfare pods or decoys to blind enemy radars, communications relay gear to extend network range, or even reconnaissance sensors. Lockheed hinted that electronic warfare and ISR payloads are on the table, noting the drone could deploy “reusable or flexible payloads” like jamming decoys in the future twz.com.
Surveillance & Reconnaissance: Stealth drones excel at quietly snooping in defended airspace, and Vectis is no exception. In an ISR role, it can infiltrate high-threat zones to monitor enemy movements or gather targeting data, then stream that intelligence back in real time. Lockheed says Vectis’s “endurance ranges [are] compatible with Indo-Pacific, European, and CENTCOM theaters,” implying it can fly long distances or orbits needed for deep surveillance missions twz.com. While specific range isn’t disclosed, theaters like the Pacific demand many hundreds or thousands of miles of reach. Vectis likely uses efficient engines and perhaps aerial refueling (a capability not confirmed, but conceptually possible) to achieve these distances. In any case, it gives commanders a penetrating eye-in-the-sky that can go where non-stealthy Global Hawks or Reapers might be shot down.
Crucially, Vectis is built to team seamlessly with manned aircraft. Its communications and datalinks are “compatible with fifth- and next-gen aircraft” like the F-35, F-22, and the future NGAD sixth-gen fighter breakingdefense.com. Lockheed stresses this is “not about connecting Lockheed systems with Lockheed systems… We can connect the Vectis system with any other platform, or anybody or anything in the battlespace,” Sanchez said defenseone.com. In other words, Vectis adheres to common military network standards so it can slot into joint operations with ease. Pilots could direct the drone via a tablet-like controller or through commands integrated in their cockpit displays twz.com twz.com. In simulations, F-35 and F-22 pilots have used touchscreen interfaces to issue commands to Vectis and even other drones, like telling a Vectis to move to a certain grid or engage a target twz.com. The autonomy onboard handles the low-level flying and formation-keeping, so the pilot can simply give high-level orders (e.g. attack that target, perform reconnaissance here) without micromanaging the drone’s every move.
This “smart autonomy” is a key feature. Vectis comes with a high degree of built-in intelligence to operate either semi-autonomously or under human direction as needed. Lockheed says it is “building in that kind of flexible autonomy” so the drone can be controlled from a fighter cockpit, a ground station, or potentially “off the deck of a ship” – meaning a naval control center – depending on the mission twz.com. The autonomy also enables collaborative tactics: multiple Vectis drones can coordinate among themselves or with crewed teammates to swarm targets or cover more ground. Lockheed has demonstrated multi-drone cooperative behaviors in other test programs, and Vectis will build on those. Given the U.S. military’s move toward Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), a drone like Vectis could act as a node in a larger network, sharing target data with other aircraft, ships, or ground units in real time.
Development Timeline and Skunk Works’ Secret Sauce
The genesis of Vectis comes from a convergence of Lockheed’s past innovations and future warfighting needs. Skunk Works indicated that analysis for Vectis has been underway for some time, shaped by feedback from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and international partners on what they’ll need in the future battle space airandspaceforces.com. Rather than waiting for an official program, Lockheed proactively started this project. “The jet is aimed at no specific competition,” Sanchez noted, “but it should be very attractive to multiple mission problem sets” that militaries are facing airandspaceforces.com. In other words, Vectis is Lockheed’s bid to define the next big thing in combat drones, hoping customers will come on board once they see its capabilities proven.
The timeline is aggressive. The announcement in September 2025 revealed that the first prototype is already being built, with components on order and assembly underway defenseone.com. Lockheed is investing its own internal R&D funds (often called IRAD) to rush Vectis into the sky by late 2027. Flight testing will likely occur at secretive sites like Groom Lake or Palmdale (Skunk Works’ home base). If successful, this could position Vectis to enter service by the end of the decade.
Backing this rapid development is Skunk Works’ storied pedigree in quick-turn prototyping. Sanchez reminded reporters that “recently, we built and flew a sixth-gen aircraft, and that work is driving progress across current and emerging efforts” twz.com. This was a stunning reference to Lockheed’s involvement in the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program – they secretly built and flew a full-scale sixth-generation fighter demonstrator (something confirmed by the Air Force in 2020). The advanced manufacturing, digital engineering, and materials knowledge from that effort are now being applied to drones like Vectis. In addition, Skunk Works has a long history with unmanned aircraft dating back to the 1960s. Sanchez noted they’ve been developing and fielding uncrewed systems for decades, including “the acknowledged low-observable survivable system, the RQ-170 [Sentinel], and other systems in the classified spaces.” twz.com. The RQ-170 Sentinel is a smaller stealth drone that Skunk Works developed in secret and which flew in Afghanistan in the 2000s – experience directly relevant to designing a bigger, more capable stealth UAV. Earlier, Lockheed also built the RQ-3 DarkStar in the 1990s (one of the first stealth reconnaissance drones) and the P-175 “Polecat” in 2005 (a private venture flying-wing UAV demonstrator) theaviationist.com. Though DarkStar and Polecat were experimental, they provided invaluable lessons in drone aerodynamics, signature control, and autonomous flight. All this lineage is “built into” Vectis’s design DNA, as Lockheed’s promotional materials proudly point out, referencing past projects like DarkStar, the tailless X-44 MANTA concept, and the RQ-170 theaviationist.com.
Skunk Works is famous for moving fast and quietly, and Vectis appears to follow that mold. By unveiling it publicly, Lockheed signaled confidence in the concept and a readiness to attract partners. In fact, 97% of Skunk Works’ projects remain classified, but Vectis was deemed suitable for public disclosure twz.com – likely because they see a real market opportunity. “As the future of air power takes shape, Skunk Works is charting a critical path with this Vectis program to unlock new integrated capabilities at an ultra-competitive speed and price point,” Sanchez said twz.com. The price point is noteworthy: although exact costs are secret, the Air Force’s goal for its current drone programs is around $20 million per aircraft twz.com. Lockheed hints that Vectis can hit a similar unit cost, despite its high-end stealth features, by leveraging digital design and advanced manufacturing to keep it affordable theaviationist.com. This approach contrasts with the classic “costly exquisite” stealth aircraft of the past. Lockheed is essentially trying to mass-produce stealth drones cheaply, something that could be a game-changer if achieved.
The CCA Program and Where Vectis Fits
The debut of Vectis comes as the U.S. Air Force is already deep into developing Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) – a family of unmanned “wingmen” to accompany its next-generation fighters. In the first phase (Increment 1) of the CCA program, the Air Force selected designs from General Atomics and Anduril Industries, awarding both companies prototyping contracts in 2024 twz.com. Those two drones, now designated YFQ-42A (General Atomics) and YFQ-44A (Anduril), prioritize low cost and “attritability” (meaning they’re cheap enough to lose in large numbers) over stealth twz.com. In fact, Lockheed Martin and Boeing both competed for CCA Increment 1 but lost out, reportedly because their proposals were too high-end and expensive for what the Air Force wanted initially airandspaceforces.com twz.com. John Clark, then Skunk Works chief, admitted their first CCA offering was “gold-plated” with stealth features beyond the requirements – “we gold-plated something they didn’t need gold-plated,” he said in hindsight twz.com. The Air Force signaled it would accept a less exquisite drone if it meant a roughly $20M price tag and fielding dozens or hundreds of them.
However, the strategic debate over drone quality vs. quantity is ongoing. Clark cautioned that if drones are too cheap and not survivable, they might get shot down by the dozens: “80 percent or more of them don’t make it home… How many [drones] am I willing to spend that sort of money on before that’s a losing proposition financially as a nation?” twz.com. This points to a potential pivot in CCA Increment 2 (the second phase expected later this decade). Increment 2 might call for more sophisticated, optionally expendable drones – ones that are survivable enough to accompany jets in high-threat scenarios but can still be produced at scale. This is the sweet spot Vectis aims to occupy. Sanchez indicated that if the Air Force decides it “need[s] a highly survivable platform with the flexibility that Vectis enables for Increment 2, I think it’ll be a great candidate.” breakingdefense.com. In other words, Lockheed is positioning Vectis as the front-runner for the Air Force’s next round of loyal wingman drones, should the service raise its requirements for stealth and capability.
Officially, Sanchez says Vectis is not tied to any one program – “not in direct response to any one [opportunity],” he said – but rather aligned with broad U.S. and allied needs they’ve assessed twz.com. Still, there’s no doubt Lockheed has its eyes on influencing the CCA program’s direction. By demonstrating a working high-end drone by 2027, they could persuade the Pentagon that a more “exquisite” CCA (albeit at higher cost) is worth the investment. It’s a calculated risk: if the Air Force sticks to cheaper drones, Vectis could seek customers elsewhere (more on that shortly). But if threats from China or Russia push the U.S. to demand top-tier unmanned capabilities, Vectis could leapfrog competitors.
Lockheed also brings to bear its work on the networking and control side. They recently won a Navy contract to provide a common control system for future Navy CCAs, leveraging their Multi-Domain Combat System (MDCX) software twz.com. That same architecture is built into Vectis for interoperability. “Everything about this will be aligned with the U.S. government reference architecture [for autonomy and mission systems],” Sanchez noted twz.com. This means Vectis could plug-and-play with the Pentagon’s envisioned battle networks without proprietary restrictions – a selling point as the military stresses open systems.
In the big picture, Vectis underscores the Air Force’s shift to a “family of systems” approach. The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program envisions a sixth-gen manned fighter teamed with multiple drones (CCAs) performing different roles. Vectis could serve as one of those highly capable adjuncts carrying sensors or weapons to amplify the manned jet’s effectiveness theaviationist.com. Lockheed even explicitly ties Vectis to the NGAD vision, saying it supports the “family of systems” concept underpinning NGAD theaviationist.com. In tests, an F-22 or F-35 has acted as the “quarterback” commanding Vectis units theaviationist.com. If adopted, such drones would essentially make one fighter plus a half-dozen drones a potent distributed team – dramatically increasing the combat power per pilot.
Vectis vs. Other Stealth Drones: How It Stacks Up
The Vectis isn’t entering a vacuum; a number of stealthy unmanned aircraft are in development or even limited operation worldwide. Here’s how Vectis compares to some of its notable peers and competitors:
- Boeing MQ-25 “Stingray” (U.S.): The MQ-25 is the U.S. Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft, primarily a tanker drone for aerial refueling boeing.com. Boeing’s Stingray, which first flew in 2019, has a stealth-influenced design (smooth surfaces, flush inlet) but is not as optimized for low observability as Vectis. Its job is to refuel Navy fighters like the F/A-18 and F-35C, extending their range, with a secondary ISR role boeing.com. In essence, MQ-25 trades combat capability for carrier integration – it has folding wings and robust landing gear to handle carrier launches and traps. A MQ-25 test aircraft has already refueled F-35s and F/A-18s in flight, proving the concept boeing.com. Comparatively, Vectis is designed for combat (shooting missiles and bombs), whereas MQ-25 is an unarmed support asset. However, if the Navy ever resurrects a carrier-based combat drone program (the canceled UCLASS program was originally for a stealth strike UAV), a design like Vectis could be adapted for that role. Lockheed even hinted Vectis’s control system could be operated “off the deck of a ship if needed” twz.com. For now, MQ-25 will fulfill the Navy’s immediate needs, but Vectis points to a future where carrier air wings might include high-end stealth combat drones alongside the Stingray tanker.
- Northrop Grumman RQ-180 (U.S.): The RQ-180 is a high-altitude, long-endurance stealth reconnaissance drone developed in secrecy for the U.S. Air Force. Though still officially unacknowledged, it’s widely reported that Northrop Grumman has been flying RQ-180s for clandestine ISR missions. This aircraft is believed to be a large twin-engine flying wing, possibly with a wingspan around 130 feet, designed for ultra-stealthy penetration of enemy airspace twz.com. Its mission is akin to a next-gen spy plane: operate at ~70,000 feet for very long durations without detection, acting as an eye in the sky (and perhaps a network node) over denied areas twz.com. In many ways, the RQ-180 is an analog to the 1980s SR-71 spy plane, trading speed for extreme stealth and endurance. Compared to Vectis, the RQ-180 is bigger and likely unarmed (its designation “RQ” indicates reconnaissance only). Vectis is smaller and meant to fight as well as spy. Both drones highlight the U.S. emphasis on stealth, but their roles differ: RQ-180 is a long-range strategic surveillance asset, while Vectis would be a tactical combat adjunct working in concert with fighters. It’s conceivable, though, that data from an RQ-180 could cue Vectis drones to targets, or vice versa, in a future fully networked battlefield.
- Boeing MQ-28 “Ghost Bat” (Australia/US): The Ghost Bat (previously the Airpower Teaming System) is a loyal wingman drone developed by Boeing Australia, now being test-flown and pitched to the U.S. and other allies. It’s a jet-powered stealthy drone around 38 feet long, intended to fly alongside fighters. The MQ-28 has a stealthy profile (sleek fuselage, internal weapons capacity) and demonstrated flights in Australia. Boeing has showcased the Ghost Bat in U.S. demonstrations, clearly eyeing the CCA market theaviationist.com. In concept, MQ-28 and Vectis are quite similar – both aim to serve as multi-mission wingmen with some stealth. Differences may lie in approach: Boeing’s Ghost Bat was designed with a focus on modular nose sections (swappable sensor packages) and relatively lower cost by using commercial components. Lockheed’s Vectis seems to be aiming a bit higher on the performance and survivability scale (Skunk Works’ earlier CCA bid was said to be more stealthy than Air Force asked for airandspaceforces.com). It will be interesting to see how these two compete; indeed, the field of CCA-type drones is getting crowded with big primes like Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop all involved theaviationist.com. The Air Force could ultimately choose a mix of systems – e.g., cheaper Ghost Bats for some missions and more advanced Vectis-type drones for others.
- China’s GJ-11 “Sharp Sword”: China has been aggressively developing stealth combat drones, and the GJ-11 Sharp Sword is one of its known UCAVs. The GJ-11 is a flying wing, jet-powered stealth drone first unveiled publicly in 2019 during a military parade twz.com. It’s roughly akin to the nEUROn or X-47B in shape, with an engine intake on top and internal bays for weapons. The Sharp Sword is designed primarily for strike missions, able to carry precision munitions in two internal weapon bays, and can also perform ISR tasks twz.com. Chinese sources have depicted it launching decoys and even doing electronic attack, suggesting a multi-role flexibility twz.com. At least two GJ-11 prototypes have been active in testing, including cooperative swarming tests and possibly teaming with China’s J-20 stealth fighters twz.com twz.com. There are indications China will adapt the GJ-11 for carrier operations as well – mockups have appeared on mock carrier decks and China’s new carriers may host such drones in the future twz.com twz.com. In comparison, Vectis is a newer Western answer to this trend. Both are stealthy UCAVs, but one key difference is that Vectis is being developed to interface seamlessly with U.S. and allied air forces, whereas the GJ-11 is an asset for the PLA with perhaps less open networking (Chinese doctrine tends toward more pre-programmed or ground-controlled drones so far). Nonetheless, China’s rapid progress in stealth drones – including larger designs shown in 2025 that might even be supersonic twz.com – provides a strategic backdrop. Lockheed’s officials have noted China is “increasingly positioned as the dominant actor in the stealthy flying wing UCAV space”, which spurs the U.S. to not fall behind twz.com.
- Russia’s S-70 “Okhotnik-B”: Russia’s entry into the stealth drone arena is the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B (meaning “Hunter”), a heavy unmanned combat air vehicle intended to work in tandem with Russia’s Su-57 fighter. The Okhotnik is quite large – it features a broad flying-wing design about 65 feet in wingspan and weighs on the order of 25 tons (55,000 lbs) max takeoff weight nationalinterest.org. First flown in 2019, early prototypes had a conventional round exhaust, but newer versions sport a flatter stealthy nozzle to reduce infrared signature. Okhotnik is built to carry a substantial weapons load (up to ~4,400 lbs of bombs or missiles internally) and reportedly can reach speeds of about 620 mph (Mach 0.8) with a range around 3,700 miles nationalinterest.org. In testing, it even dropped unguided bombs on targets and was photographed flying alongside a Su-57, underlining its role as a “loyal wingman” for Russia’s fifth-gen fighter nationalsecurityjournal.org. However, the S-70 program has faced delays and only a couple of prototypes exist. Notably, an Okhotnik was deployed in the Ukraine war in 2024 (likely as a test under live conditions) but was reportedly shot down – in fact, Russian forces had to destroy the downed drone themselves to prevent its capture nationalinterest.org nationalinterest.org. This incident suggests the Okhotnik is still in experimental status and perhaps not fully autonomous (rumors say it lost contact with its controllers). Compared to Vectis, the S-70 is bigger and potentially more costly, possibly equivalent to a manned fighter in expense. It reflects Russia’s preference for a very large, fast drone that could even carry heavy weapons like guided bombs. Vectis, on the other hand, is likely more moderate in size and designed with more advanced autonomy and networking from the get-go. Given Russia’s war and financial constraints, the Okhotnik’s future is uncertain – but it underscores that major powers see stealth drones as key to future warfare. In a sense, Vectis is the Western answer to the concept of an autonomous stealth wingman that Russia and China have been pursuing as well.
Beyond these, there are other international projects: Europe had the nEUROn demonstrator (led by France’s Dassault) and Britain’s now-paused Taranis/Mosquito effort; India is working on a stealth UCAV named Ghatak; Turkey recently unveiled a stealthy drone called ANKA-3; and so on twz.com. Even Airbus showed off a “Wingman” drone concept in 2025, indicating plans for a European loyal wingman to accompany Eurofighters or the future FCAS fighter twz.com. In short, the field of stealth combat drones is rapidly expanding worldwide. Lockheed’s Vectis enters this competitive field as the latest high-profile entrant from the U.S., aiming to leap ahead with a combination of battle-proven stealth tech and cutting-edge autonomy.
Implications for the U.S. Air Force and Navy
If Vectis delivers on its promises, it could have significant implications for how the U.S. military conducts air operations. For the U.S. Air Force, a drone like Vectis could become an integral part of its tactical units. The Air Force is looking at a future where for every manned fighter (like an F-35 or the upcoming NGAD), there might be two, four, or more companion drones multiplying its combat power. These drones can perform the “dull, dirty, dangerous” tasks: e.g., orbiting as persistent sensors, ranging out front in highly defended zones, or sacrificially absorbing enemy fire that would otherwise target a crewed jet. By doing so, they protect high-value assets and personnel.
Vectis, with its high survivability, would be especially useful in high-end conflict scenarios – think a showdown in the Western Pacific or Eastern Europe against a near-peer adversary. Its stealth and teaming ability means it can go with fifth-gen fighters into the teeth of enemy integrated air defenses, where less stealthy drones or legacy aircraft wouldn’t survive. For missions like gaining air superiority over hostile territory or knocking out advanced SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems, having a pack of autonomous wingmen could be decisive. The Air Force has been heavily experimenting with the concept of tactical autonomy under programs like Skyborg and CCA; Vectis could be a prime candidate to materialize those concepts in an operational jet. As Sanchez highlighted, Vectis’s comms and signature are made to be “compatible with fifth- and next-gen aircraft”, and they’ve proven in analysis that mixed teams of F-22s/F-35s with Vectis yield impressive results breakingdefense.com twz.com. This bodes well for real-world integration.
Additionally, Vectis’s design caters to the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine. ACE is about dispersing aircraft to remote or makeshift airstrips to avoid being targeted, especially in a Pacific war scenario twz.com twz.com. Because Vectis is runway-capable and built for easy maintenance in austere conditions, it meshes with this philosophy. “Runway accessibility is incredibly important in every theater… Vectis will be very capable in those spaces,” Sanchez noted, referring to distributed ops twz.com. Essentially, you could hide Vectis drones at small dispersed bases or even roadways and quickly launch them as needed, rather than relying on big vulnerable air bases. Its ability to be a “daily flyer” for training or to be stored and rapidly assembled gives commanders flexibility in how they manage the fleet twz.com. This could help solve one debate: whether to keep advanced drones in storage until wartime (to save cost and airframe life) or use them regularly so that operators stay proficient twz.com. Lockheed cleverly built Vectis to handle either operating concept – it can fly often for integration exercises with human pilots, but it can also be packed away and “boxed” until needed, if a customer prefers that approach airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com.
For the U.S. Navy and Marines, Vectis or its derivatives offer intriguing possibilities as well. The Navy is already investing in unmanned carrier aviation via MQ-25 Stingray. The next logical step is a combat-capable carrier drone. While Vectis in its current form requires a runway and isn’t carrier-qualified, Lockheed officials implied that with modifications, the autonomy and software could be adapted to naval drones. In fact, Lockheed’s Navy-focused MDCX control system means an F-35 or even a control station on a ship could guide drones like Vectis twz.com. We might envision a future carrier air wing where, along with F/A-18E/Fs or F-35Cs, the deck hosts stealth UCAVs for strike and air defense roles. The Navy’s past UCLASS program (canceled in 2016) showed the Navy did consider a stealth strike drone; Vectis or a cousin could revive that capability. The Marines, too, have been examining unmanned systems to aid their expeditionary advanced base operations. A runway-capable drone that can operate from rough airstrips on Pacific islands, performing ISR or even strikes in support of Marines, would be valuable. The Marines’ concept of MUM-T (manned-unmanned teaming) isn’t as developed as the Air Force’s, but as the technology matures, one could see Marines using a drone like Vectis as an extra set of eyes (or a decoy or a strike asset) to support their F-35B/C jets in an island-hopping fight.
One more impact area is allied integration. Lockheed explicitly designed Vectis with not just the U.S., but international partners in mind breakingdefense.com. Many U.S. allies are interested in loyal wingman drones. For example, the UK is exploring a “uncrewed combat aircraft” to accompany its Tempest future fighter; Japan is developing an unmanned wingman for its F-X program; Australia, as mentioned, has the Ghost Bat which might partner with U.S. forces. Vectis’s open architecture and the fact Lockheed has already done demos of sharing classified data with foreign F-35 users twz.com show that it could be offered to close allies (with U.S. government approval). A nation like Japan or a NATO ally could potentially buy into the Vectis program, customizing payloads or features to their needs. Sanchez noted, “We’re building in autonomy so we can work with more countries, more partners… to really listen to what their needs are.” breakingdefense.com twz.com. If multiple countries adopt similar drones, that could enhance coalition air operations – think of mixed formations of U.S. and allied drones working together, just as allied pilots fly together today. It would also drive costs down via economies of scale.
However, the U.S. will have to consider export sensitivities, given Vectis’s advanced stealth. A likely path is akin to the F-35 program: offer it to the closest allies first (Five Eyes nations, NATO partners, Japan, etc.). Notably, Lockheed recently partnered with BAE Systems’ FalconWorks in the UK on uncrewed systems, which hints that a transatlantic collaboration on drones is plausible twz.com. Even if Vectis itself isn’t directly exported, the underlying “agile drone framework” could spawn variants or share technology with allied projects.
Future Air Combat: Toward Manned-Unmanned Teams
The unveiling of Vectis is a landmark in the broader trend toward autonomous systems in air combat. Military aviation is arguably at an inflection point not seen since the introduction of jet engines or stealth. As technology and AI have advanced, the long-predicted era of drones working alongside piloted aircraft is finally beginning to materialize. Vectis encapsulates many elements of this future: highly autonomous decision-making, seamless integration with human operators, and the ability to take on roles traditionally filled by piloted planes.
In the near future, we can expect air combat doctrine to evolve dramatically. Instead of squadrons composed solely of manned fighters, we may see mixed teams – for instance, 2 F-35s accompanied by 4 Vectis-type drones. The drones might scout ahead and jam enemy sensors, the piloted jets hang back managing the battle and launching long-range missiles, and perhaps additional cheaper drones (like attritable decoys) add confusion for the enemy. This swarming, cooperative approach could overwhelm adversaries who are used to facing a one-on-one or two-on-two fight. It also presents a deterrent: an enemy has to consider that attacking one F-35 might mean facing half a dozen networked “shooters” that come with it.
At the same time, autonomy raises questions. How much decision authority will drones like Vectis have in lethal engagements? Current policy tends to require a human in the loop for using weapons. So Vectis may detect and even maneuver into firing position on its own, but a human (either a pilot or ground controller) will likely give the final permission to fire, at least initially theaviationist.com. As AI confidence grows and if adversaries deploy swarms of their own, that stance might soften for split-second defensive situations. Lockheed has tested a lot of this in simulators and controlled flights, so Vectis will probably come with multiple modes – from fully human-controlled to fully autonomous – selectable by the mission commander.
Skunk Works’ focus on open mission systems and interoperability also speaks to the future: the military wants to avoid vendor lock and ensure drones from different makers can all “talk” to each other and to various platforms twz.com. In a battle scenario, it’s conceivable that an Air Force pilot could control an Army drone or a Navy ship could feed targeting data to an Air Force Vectis, etc. Achieving that “large tent” of interoperability is both a technical and bureaucratic challenge. Lockheed, by aligning Vectis with government architecture standards, is trying to make it as plug-and-play as possible across domains twz.com. This hints that Vectis isn’t just a platform, but part of a broader networked combat cloud, where data from satellites, AWACS, other aircraft, and ground units all fuse to give a complete picture and prompt swift, coordinated action.
Historically, Skunk Works projects have often been harbingers of what’s next in air warfare. The U-2 heralded the age of high-altitude recon, the SR-71 ushered in extreme speed, the F-117 pioneered operational stealth. Now Vectis might be Skunk Works’ next big contribution: making operational manned-unmanned air combat a reality. As one defense commentator put it, the twin trends of stealth and unmanned systems are converging, and “the pilot’s era is rapidly coming to a close; the future of aerial combat will be unmanned.” nationalinterest.org That may be a bit hyperbolic – human pilots aren’t going away just yet – but those pilots will undoubtedly have increasingly capable robotic partners by their side.
Lockheed Martin’s Vectis, with its stealth, brains, and brawn, is a prime example of this shift. It aims to deliver class-leading survivability in an agile, multi-role package that can be produced at scale theaviationist.com. If it succeeds, it could lend the U.S. and its allies a decisive edge in the drone race and ensure that western air powers keep pace with – or ahead of – rivals investing heavily in unmanned systems. As Skunk Works often says, “the Skunk Works is not afraid to make changes as things change” twz.com. With Vectis, they are demonstrating that adaptability: evolving a concept of a high-end stealth drone to meet the fast-changing demands of 21st-century warfare. All eyes will now be on its first flight by 2027, a potential milestone signaling that tomorrow’s Top Guns may fly with wingmen that have no pilots at all.
Sources:
- Valerie Insinna, Breaking Defense – “Lockheed’s Skunk Works reveals Vectis stealth drone, eyeing first flight in 2027”, Sept 21, 2025 breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com.
- Joseph Trevithick, The War Zone – “Skunk Works Unveils Vectis Air Combat Drone That Puts A Premium On Stealth”, Sept 21, 2025 twz.com twz.com twz.com twz.com twz.com twz.com twz.com twz.com twz.com.
- Thomas Novelly, Defense One – “Lockheed’s Skunk Works unveils work on a potential CCA competitor”, Sept 21, 2025 defenseone.com defenseone.com defenseone.com defenseone.com.
- John A. Tirpak, Air & Space Forces Magazine – “Meet ‘Vectis’: Lockheed Skunk Works Unveils CCA-Like Fighter Escort Platform”, Sept 21, 2025 airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com.
- Stefano D’Urso, The Aviationist – “Skunk Works Introduces Vectis Stealth CCA”, Sept 21, 2025 theaviationist.com theaviationist.com theaviationist.com theaviationist.com.
- Joseph Trevithick, The War Zone – “Chinese Flying Wing UCAV Testing Accelerating…”, Sep 5, 2024 (GJ-11 Sharp Sword analysis) twz.com.
- Harrison Kass, The National Interest – “Russia’s S-70 Okhotnik-B Stealth Drone: We Have Questions”, Dec 6, 2024 nationalinterest.org.
- Boeing – MQ-25 Stingray Overview (Boeing.com) boeing.com.
- Tyler Rogoway, The War Zone – “The RQ-180 Drone Will Emerge From The Shadows…”, Apr 29, 2021 twz.com.
