“Next level unlocked,” Lockheed Martin said in a social media post on September 12. The accompanying video provided no technical details or updated schedule for the aircraft.
Vectis was unveiled in September 2025 as a next-generation uncrewed combat aircraft. Lockheed Martin designed it to operate alongside the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II and future combat aircraft.
The company has not linked Vectis to a specific military competition. However, its design reflects the U.S. Air Force’s growing focus on affordable uncrewed aircraft that can support fifth-generation fighters.
Next level unlocked. 🦨🔓
More to come… pic.twitter.com/BAR8XEmtDb— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) September 12, 2026
Vectis falls within the Pentagon’s Group 5 classification, the largest and most capable category of uncrewed aircraft. Lockheed Martin has described the design as offering “best-in-class survivability in the CCA category,” referring to the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme.
The company expects Vectis to cost significantly less to buy and operate than a crewed fighter. At the same time, the aircraft is intended to combine stealth with advanced onboard mission systems.
Lockheed Martin has identified air combat, strike, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare as potential missions. Its open-systems architecture is designed to accept sensors, weapons and communications equipment from outside suppliers.
That approach would allow U.S. and allied operators to configure the aircraft for different missions. Lockheed Martin sees this flexibility as an important part of the platform’s potential appeal.
“Parts of the prototype are on order, the team is working and we plan to take to the air within the next two years,” Lockheed Martin said in an earlier statement. The company has also described Vectis as an “everyday aircraft,” with accessible internal systems and durable materials intended for field operations.
Vectis is the latest programme from Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin’s advanced development division. Established during the Second World War under engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the organisation first gained prominence through the rapid development of the P-80 Shooting Star.
Skunk Works later produced the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, the Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft. It subsequently designed the F-22 Raptor and played a major role in developing the F-35 Lightning II.
The division has also conducted classified aircraft programmes and technology demonstrations throughout its history. Vectis extends that work into lower-cost, uncrewed combat aviation designed to operate with current and future fighters.
