Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works will build four additional Vectis drone prototypes, expanding the test fleet to five aircraft including the one already in production. The move, unveiled at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, keeps the internally funded stealth collaborative combat aircraft programme on track for first flight in 2027 and speeds validation and production readiness.
Ron Fehlen and the Skunk Works advanced development team are leaning into the programme to accelerate development, with the extra vehicles intended to support faster iteration across testing and manufacturing. Lockheed also displayed a full-scale Vectis model at the conference for the first time.
Vectis is being developed as a stealthy autonomous combat aircraft within Skunk Works, placing the business squarely in the emerging collaborative combat aircraft market. Lockheed has highlighted the pace of early work on the concept, saying the team moved from first drawing to wind-tunnel testing in under two months, completed the first digital build in six months and released the first part in eight months.
Public technical detail remains limited, but the decision to expand prototype production shows the company is committing more internal resources to the programme ahead of flight testing. The move also sharpens competition among defence primes pursuing similar loyal-wingman and autonomous combat aircraft efforts.