Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has launched its new Nomad family of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, featuring a twin-proprotor design that combines the vertical agility of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. This allows the vehicle to take off, hover, and land vertically, while it can also execute forward flight.
Hybrid-Electric Aircraft
This project emulates that firm’s goal of creating an autonomous hybrid-electric aircraft that operates in both military and civilian roles without the need for runways.
“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,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky’s vice president and general manager.
“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.”
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The prototype has a wingspan of 10.3 feet and shows the good performance of its rotor-blown wing in terms of aerodynamics and vertical lift. Sikorsky is now building the Nomad 100, a larger 18-foot wingspan Group 3 variant, with its first flight expected in the coming months.
The Nomad aircraft will utilize Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy technology, which incorporates software and sensors that enable the aircraft to plan routes, avoid obstacles, and execute missions independently.
“Nomad represents breakthroughs for Sikorsky and the next generation of autonomous, long-endurance drones,” said Dan Shidler, Sikorsky’s 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.”
According to Sikorsky, the Nomad series is designed for missions ranging from reconnaissance and light attack to contested logistics and humanitarian operations.
