Lockheed Martin has unveiled Vectis, a new stealth combat drone from its Skunk Works advanced programs division, designed to fly as an unmanned wingman alongside today’s F-35 and F-22 fighters and future generations of fighter aircraft. In its September 21 announcement, Lockheed described Vectis as a “Group 5, multi-mission system” intended to operate in parallel with US and allied air forces. Founded during World War II under engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, Skunk Works gained fame almost immediately with the rapid development of the P-80 Shooting Star, America’s first operational jet fighter. Alongside these headline projects, Skunk Works has conducted numerous classified programs and technology demonstrations that never became household names but helped define modern air combat. That heritage of secrecy, innovation, and rapid prototyping sets the stage for Vectis, which Lockheed now promotes as its next step in uncrewed combat aviation.