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Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky has introduced Nomad, a “long-endurance, runway-independent” drone family.
Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky has recently unveiled a new drone range, Nomad, which they call the “future family of aircraft”. The vertical take-off and landing uncrewed aerial system (UAS) aims to combine the manoeuvrability and versatile nature of helicopters, with the speed and range of fixed-wing aircraft.
The drones will have the multi-use ability to take-off, hover, land vertically and cruise for extended periods of time, giving it a unique range that Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager, said has the “ability to be scaled in size from a small Group 3 UAS to the footprint equivalent 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 defence, national security, forestry and civilian organisations.”
Powered by hybrid-electric propulsion, the twin proprotor drone will be fuel-efficient, with a strategic design made for confined areas that other UAS may have trouble reaching. Utilising Sikorsky’s MATRIX technology, Nomad has an open system, allowing for it to be seamlessly integrated into existing aircraft to extend its usability.
“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 and execute the mission – all autonomously and in the hands of soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen.”
In March, initial test flights of the Nomad 50 prototype, which has a 10.3 feet (3.1 metres) wingspan, proved to be successful, with Sikorsky now in the process of building their Nomad 100 model, a Group 3, 18-foot (5.5 metres) wingspan aircraft that is expected for its first flights in the coming months. The “family” of drones will range from Group 3 up to Group 4 and 5 to adequately meet the needs of a mission.
“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,” Benton said.
