Air

Lockheed designs its Vectis drone wingman with allied buyers in mind

Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said on the company's Oct. 22 earnings call that Vectis, its planned Collaborative Combat Aircraft entry, is being designed so allies can buy it without a separate U.S.-only configuration. Vectis is meant for air-to-air and strike missions alongside crewed jets. Lockheed is aiming at the Air Force's CCA Increment 2, expected within two years, while Increment 1 aircraft from Anduril and General Atomics are in flight testing.

Illustration of a stealthy uncrewed jet over mountains

Illustration: Autonomy Wire (AI-generated)

Why it matters

Increment 2 is where the second wave of CCA vendors gets its shot, and Lockheed is pitching exportability as its edge. If allies can buy the same jet the Air Force flies, the production run gets longer and the unit price gets lower, which matters for an aircraft meant to be attritable.

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