Sikorsky completes initial Nomad 100 UAS tests with DARPA EVADE

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has finished initial ground and flight testing of its Nomad 100 unmanned aerial system (UAS) in partnership with the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration (EVADE) programme.

Sikorsky Nomad 100 testing with DARPA EVADE

This milestone marks another move towards delivering high-performance unmanned systems for forces working in fast-changing, contested environments. Lockheed Martin’s innovation investments are speeding up next-generation autonomy and manned–unmanned teaming capabilities, giving operators decisive advantages through speed, accuracy and mission-critical reliability in the harshest conditions.

“The Nomad 100’s ongoing flight tests reflect our commitment to advancing autonomous technology while delivering safe, dependable mission capabilities that help customers close critical operational gaps,” said Rich Benton, Vice President and General Manager, Sikorsky. “Nomad will operate as part of a manned–unmanned team, supporting missions everywhere from austere forward operating bases to ship decks and unprepared landing zones.”

Next, Sikorsky will progress Nomad 100 through an intensive flight-test campaign at a government facility, designed to replicate a range of the aircraft’s multi-mission profiles.

Nomad 100 design and performance

Nomad 100 is a variant of Sikorsky’s innovative rotor-blown wing architecture, combining a helicopter’s vertical lift and hover with the speed, range and endurance associated with fixed-wing aircraft.

Its twin prop-rotor system enables vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), hovering, wing-borne cruise flight, and runway-independent, all-weather operations across both land and maritime environments.

Manned–unmanned teaming and MATRIX autonomy

Nomad aircraft are intended to operate within a mixed team of crewed and uncrewed platforms to provide integrated, full-spectrum mission solutions. They also represent Sikorsky’s entry into the UAS market, bringing together decades of rotary-wing and autonomy expertise with AI, advanced manufacturing and electric propulsion to deliver a high-performance VTOL platform that is lower cost and scalable to produce-extending the company’s legacy into the next generation of uncrewed aerial solutions.

DARPA has chosen Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomous technology as the integrated autonomy solution across all five platforms operating under the EVADE programme.

Information from Lockheed Martin