Forward-looking: The sci-fi-like scenario of fighter pilots heading into combat alongside autonomous wingmen is getting closer to reality. Lockheed Martin has shared more details about Vectis, its uncrewed aircraft designed to operate alongside the F-35. It's also expanding the program to five aircraft, and Lockheed is targeting the first prototype's maiden flight by the end of 2027.
Lockheed's Skunk Works division announced that it is adding four vehicles to the original Vectis prototype. The company also unveiled a full-scale model at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference, offering a better look at what it hopes will become a flying teammate for human pilots.
First revealed in September 2025, Vectis is a collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA. Lockheed says its planned use cases include precision strikes, electronic warfare, intelligence gathering and targeting, and air combat. It's designed to operate independently or alongside crewed fighters, including the F-35.
The aircraft will measure approximately 34 feet long and have a 38-foot wingspan. Its tailless design should reduce drag and improve range, while the recessed engine inlet on top should reduce the chances of swallowing debris when taking off from rough runways.
Pilots flying alongside Vectis would direct it using a touchscreen interface, such as a tablet. Ground stations could also control the aircraft, which will use Lockheed's MDCX autonomy command and control platform. Managing a robotic wingman could eventually become another task on a fighter pilot's screen.
Skunk Works boss Ron Fehlen likened Vectis' assembly approach to ready-to-assemble furniture, with pre-positioned holes helping components line up. The aim is to reduce the labor involved and make production faster and cheaper – though we don't know how much cheaper.
According to Defense One, Lockheed hasn't disclosed an estimated price, specific customer, engine details, or weapons loadout.
There have already been some notable milestones. In February 2023, Lockheed Martin announced that its VISTA X-62A jet had completed more than 17 hours of AI-controlled flight during tests the previous December. In April 2024, the Air Force revealed that the aircraft had taken part in simulated dogfights against human pilots in September 2023.
More recently, there was Shield AI's X-BAT, a proposed autonomous fighter designed to take off vertically without a runway.
Lockheed says the Vectis team progressed from its first drawing to wind-tunnel testing in less than two months. That's quick, but we still don't know how long it will be before it's an operational combat aircraft. Next big step is getting it off the ground.
