Overview
- Lockheed has started work on four additional Vectis airframes and says it aims to fly a prototype by the end of 2027 to speed testing and production maturity.
- Vectis is a Group 5, tail-less lambda‑wing unmanned aircraft about 34 feet long with a 38‑foot wingspan and an internal weapons bay shown in company material.
- The aircraft will use Lockheed’s MDCX autonomy command‑and‑control to operate autonomously, from ground stations, or as a wingman directed by crewed fighters via a tablet‑style interface.
- Skunk Works says it built Vectis with a fully digital design thread and a minimal‑tooling determinate assembly method to cut parts, reduce labor, and lower unit build time.
- Key details remain public questions: Lockheed has not disclosed specific weapons, sensor suites, or full stealth characteristics while the program positions itself to compete for the Air Force’s planned fleet of roughly 1,000 CCAs with a $20 million per‑vehicle aspirational cost target.