Lockheed Martin’s Vectis drone to fly with Williams International FJ44-4 engine
December 19, 2025
Lockheed Martin is continuing work on developing its high-end Vectis Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The defence contract has just announced its prototype will fly with Williams International’s FJ44-4 turbofan engine.
Lockheed selects FJ44-4 as prototype engine
Lockheed says the FJ44-4 is a “fast, reliable and affordable propulsion system for the program’s demonstrator.” The engine provides over 3,600 lbf from a compact, twin-spool architecture.
Peter McArdle, Integrated Systems program director, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, said, “By leveraging a mature, rugged turbofan, we can accelerate our timeline and demonstrate a game‑changing capability quickly.”
It adds that it is “aggressively” designing and building the Vectis with a targeted first flight in 2027. It says the FJ44-4 engine provides the speed, range, and endurance needed for next-generation missions.
The family of engines powers aircraft like the Beechcraft Premier I, the Cessna CitationJet, the Grob G180, and the Pilatus PC-24.
It also powered the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer that Steve Fossett flew around the world nonstop, solo, without refuelling in 2005.
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Lockheed sees a place for high-end loyal wingman drones
Lockheed lost the bidding for the Air Force’s Increment 1 of the CCA programme. According to reports, the drone was offered as a bespoke, ‘gold-plated’ option that the Air Force rejected in favour of lower capability, but more affordable General Atomics and Anduril solutions that it can purchase in greater mass.
The F-35 and Lockheed Martin Vectis™ move as one — merging stealth, awareness and power to command every domain.
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) October 31, 2025
Unseen. Unmatched. Unstoppable. ⚡ pic.twitter.com/6XZ1XTGgRX
Undeterred, Lockheed is continuing work on developing a high-end CCA with its own money, believing there will be a requirement for it. Lockheed also has an eye on export opportunities.
Lockheed says Vectis will provide “best-in-class” survivability, lethality, and flexibility, and will be able to operate in diverse and demanding operational threat environments.
There is a big debate in the industry about what form CCAs should take. Broadly speaking, forces can choose to have high-end and very capable platforms, but fewer of them. Or they can have lower-end aircraft, but more of them.
The CCAs that the Chinese seem to be unveiling appear to be stealth aircraft and may be more expensive. At the other end, the US Navy is talking about having low-end CCAs that will fly a few missions and end their short lives as kamikaze drones.
The Vectis prototype might be in production
In October, The War Zone reported on a mysterious fuselage section that appeared in a Northrop Grumman video. The fuselage appears to be that of a tactical jet fighter and does not match any known aircraft.
Northrop Grumman is a major contractor to Lockheed, and it produces the forward fuselage sections of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.
It could be the recently unveiled Scaled Composites drone, Project Lotus. It could also be Lockheed’s Vectis. Notably, the Lotus design appears to resemble features from the Vectis as both have long and slender fuselages forward of the wings’ leading edges.
Another possibility is that the fuselage is that of a Northrop Grumman fighter jet in the works – after all, it is competing for the Navy’s F/A-XX 6th generation fighter programme. It could also be an aircraft being built by its subsidiary, Scaled Composites.
The fuselage may also be that of some other unannounced aircraft project. After all, amid the Great Power Competition between the US and China, sometimes it seems scarcely a week goes by without a new autonomous aircraft being revealed.
