Sikorsky, part of the American Lockheed Martin, has introduced a family of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones called Nomad, according to a press release from the manufacturer.
Sikorsky Vice President and General Manager Rich Benton explained that the term "family" refers to the company's ability to scale drones in size from Group 3 UAVs (50 to 1,300 pounds) to Group 4/5 (1,300 pounds and larger). This includes a drone similar in size to a Black Hawk helicopter.
Nomad drones from Sikorsky
Lockheed Martin
Sikorsky claims that the twin-propeller design combines the versatility of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. The Nomad UAV is capable of taking off, hovering and landing vertically, as well as moving horizontally for extended periods of time.
The Nomad 5 model, which underwent extended flight tests in March 2025, uses a hybrid electric power plant. This drone has a wingspan of more than 3 meters. The company is also preparing the Nomad 100 with a wingspan of almost 5.5 meters. Its first flight is expected in the coming months. The "Sotka" and larger models will receive conventional internal combustion engines.
At the same time, the company plans to use drones for military and civilian tasks, in particular for national defense and forestry tasks.
"he 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," Rich Benton emphasized.
All drones in the Nomad line use the MATRIX autopilot system, which has already been used in helicopters and airplanes in aerial firefighting and logistics applications.
It was previously reported that the US military is having difficulties deploying unmanned systems based on artificial intelligence. This is the Replicator program, which was launched in 2023. It provided for the rapid supply of cheap and autonomous drones to the US army to counter China's military capabilities. However, the drones delivered under the program turned out to be expensive, unreliable, or not ready for use.