Lockheed Martin Sikorsky’s Nomad Drones Break the Boundaries of Flight

The Nomad VTOL UAS family has a scalable design that allows the Nomad to be tailored to increase speed, range and payload capacity for a variety of missions. Rendering courtesy, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company.

Less than a year after proving the capabilities of its innovative rotor blown wing VTOL drone, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has unveiled its Nomad family of long-endurance, runway-independent aircraft. Blending helicopter agility with airplane speed, the Nomad line represents a bold leap in uncrewed aviation — delivering scalable, autonomous systems designed for diverse missions across defense, national security, and civilian domains.

A Fusion of Helicopter Agility and Airplane Speed

At the heart of the Nomad concept is its twin proprotor design, which merges the vertical take-off and hover capability of a helicopter with the speed and extended range of a fixed-wing aircraft. This unique hybrid approach allows the Nomad to take off, hover, and land vertically, while also achieving efficient wing-borne cruise flight over long distances.

Operated through Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy technology, the Nomad predominantly uses hybrid-electric propulsion for enhanced efficiency and lower emissions. Larger variants will be equipped with a conventional drivetrain to meet higher performance demands.

A Scalable, Mission-Ready Drone Family

According to Rich Benton, Sikorsky Vice President and General Manager, the term “family” reflects the aircraft’s scalable design — adaptable from a compact Group 3 UAS to a platform roughly the size of a Black Hawk helicopter.

“The resulting Nomad family of drones will be adaptable, go-anywhere, runway-independent aircraft capable of land and sea-based missions across defense, national security, forestry, and civilian organizations,” Benton said. “Nomads are a force multiplier, complementing platforms like the Black Hawk to retain strategic advantage in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”

This scalability means the Nomad series can support a diverse range of missions, including reconnaissance, light attack, contested logistics, and intelligence operations, making it a powerful addition to future joint-force operations.

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From Prototype Success to Operational Readiness

In March 2025, Sikorsky successfully completed an extended flight test of its Nomad 50 prototype, a 10.3-foot wingspan demonstrator that validated the system’s performance and endurance. Building on that success, the company is now developing the Nomad 100, a Group 3 aircraft with an 18-foot wingspan and a first flight scheduled in the coming months.

The Nomad family will span multiple size categories — from Group 3 UAS (56 to 1,320 pounds) to Group 4 and 5 aircraft (1,320 pounds and above) — powered by fuel-efficient hybrid-electric or conventional drivetrains depending on the model.

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Autonomy at the Core: MATRIX Technology

Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy system, developed in collaboration with DARPA, is an open architecture platform designed for seamless integration across both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. MATRIX has already been proven in real-world applications such as aerial firefighting, autonomous logistics resupply, and advanced aerial mobility — paving the way for Nomad’s next-gen autonomous capabilities.

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A Leap Toward the Future of Autonomous Flight

“Nomad represents new breakthroughs for Sikorsky and the next generation of autonomous, long-endurance drones,” said Dan Shidler, Director of Advanced Programs. “We are acting on feedback from the Pentagon, adopting a rapid approach and creating a family of drones that can take off and land virtually anywhere — executing missions autonomously and empowering Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen.”

With Nomad, Sikorsky is not only advancing the state of drone technology but also reshaping how autonomous aircraft will support global missions — from defense and disaster response to environmental and commercial operations.