Lockheed Martin

Drone Intelligence Assessment

In combat drones, Lockheed Martin is currently the challenger rather than the incumbent. Its 2025 Form 10-K reports revenue of $75.0 billion and net earnings of $5.0 billion. It was not selected to build aircraft for the Air Force's first Collaborative Combat Aircraft increment, where production went to General Atomics and Anduril, though it won one of six places in the pool competing on autonomy software.

Its answer is Vectis, built at Skunk Works with its own money. On 14 September 2026 the company said it would build four more airframes on top of the prototype under construction, five in all, with first flight targeted by the end of 2027. Lockheed says the team went from first drawing to wind-tunnel fly-off in under two months and released the first part in eight. At the small end, Lockheed Martin UK won a £129 million British Army contract in December 2022 for 159 Indago 4 and about 105 Stalker VXE30 drones.

DI analysis: self-funding five prototypes is how a prime keeps a seat for the next increment without a contract. Lockheed has not tied Vectis to a named competition, and a Skunk Works spokesman referred Increment 2 questions to the Air Force. The test is whether Vectis flies on its 2027 date and whether the Air Force opens Increment 2 to it.