Sikorsky has announced it is developing a family of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones capable of autonomous long endurance operation with large payloads.
Known as the Nomad family, the aircraft are developed from the “rotor blown wing” technology the manufacturer unveiled earlier this year, with twin proprotors either side of a payload on a long wing.
The tail-sitting aircraft takes off vertically, but has the forward speed of an airplane when it transitions to horizontal flight.
“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,” said Dan Shidler, director of Advanced Programs at Sikorsky.
The company noted the Nomad’s suitability for reconnaissance, light attack, and contested logistics.
The aircraft is designed to be scalable from a Group 3 UAS (56 to 1,320 pounds) to Group 4/5 (1,320 pounds and up), with the largest version occupying a Black Hawk-sized footprint.
Smaller variants will be powered by hybrid-electric drivetrains, while larger types will have a conventional powerplant. They will all be operated through Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomy techonology.
Earlier this year, Sikorsky disclosed the testing it had completed with a 10.3-foot (3.14-meter) wingspan demonstrator aircraft, which it now calls a Nomad 50 prototype. That aircraft weighed 115 pounds (52 kilograms), and achieved a top speed of 86 knots.
In January, Sikorsky completed more than 40 takeoffs and landings with the prototpye, as well as performing 30 transitions from vertical to horizontal flight.
The manufacturer is now building a “Nomad 100” aircraft, which has an 18-foot (5.5-meter) wingspan, with first flight expected in the coming months.
“The . . . 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,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. “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.”
