Sikorsky has unveiled the Nomad Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) family of drones, which possesses a twin proprotor design which allegedly combines the versatility of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing airplane.
“We use the term ‘family’ to point to a key attribute of the design; its ability to be scaled in size from a small Group 3 UAS to the footprint equivalent of a Black Hawk helicopter,” Sikorsky Vice President and General Manager, Rich Benton, said.
“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. Nomads are a force multiplier, complementing the missions of aircraft such as the Black Hawk to retain the strategic advantage in the Indo-Pacific and across broader regions.”
A Nomad aircraft can take off, hover, and land vertically, plus cruise on the wing for extended periods. Nomads are operated via Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomy technology and predominantly use hybrid-electric propulsion, while larger variants will feature a conventional drivetrain.
“Nomad represents new breakthroughs for Sikorsky and the next generation of autonomous, long-endurance drones,” Director of Advanced Programs, Dan Shidler, stated. “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 and execute the mission – all autonomously and in the hands of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen.”
Sikorsky had announced in March 2025 the successful extended flight test of its 10.3-ft wingspan prototype Nomad 50 aircraft. Sikorsky is currently building its Nomad 100 aircraft. This is a Group 3, 18-ft wingspan variant with the first flight expected in the coming months.
Matrix technology, developed by Sikorsky Innovations and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is an open system, which allows integration with rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.