Sikorsky Nomad Drone Family and the Nomad 100 Fast Pack

What the Sikorsky Nomad Is

The Sikorsky Nomad is a family of runway-independent, vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial systems built around a tail-sitting rotor-blown-wing airframe. Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, introduced the aircraft family in October 2025, less than a year after flight-testing a subscale prototype.

The family's 18-foot-wingspan Nomad 100, a Group 3 drone, completed initial ground and flight testing under DARPA's Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration (EVADE) program in July 2026, Lockheed Martin says. The aircraft sits on its tail to launch vertically like a helicopter, then pitches forward to cruise on its wing.

Sikorsky says the Nomad family is enabled by its MATRIX autonomy software, which Interesting Engineering reports handles route planning, obstacle avoidance and independent mission execution. Sikorsky's Ramsey Bentley told The War Zone that an operator picks a mission and a map point on a tablet and presses start. MATRIX was developed by Sikorsky Innovations and DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Sikorsky says MATRIX has logged over 1,000 flight hours and been integrated into more than 20 platforms, including the Sikorsky U-Hawk.

Sikorsky says the Nomad family can scale from a small Group 3 UAS to the footprint of a Black Hawk helicopter. Breaking Defense calls that top size Group 5, while The Aviationist says Group 4/5. Sikorsky says most Nomads will use hybrid-electric propulsion, while larger variants will use a conventional drivetrain.

What Is in the Nomad 100 Fast Pack

Sikorsky's launch release describes the Nomad 100 Fast Pack as a containerized kit holding four Nomad 100 drones in one standard 20-foot ISO container. Sikorsky introduced the concept at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting on October 12, 2026. The container also holds mission-command software, power, communications and sustainment equipment.

In the planned operating sequence published by Sikorsky, ground personnel can bring the first two Nomad 100 aircraft to flight readiness in less than 15 minutes directly out of the container. Sikorsky says the other two, which The War Zone reports are stored on the container's upper shelf, can be ready within four to six hours.

Sikorsky says the container can then be repacked and moved to a new site. The War Zone reports that a Sikorsky promotional video shows a Black Hawk carrying the Fast Pack as a sling load. Sikorsky's Ramsey Bentley told The War Zone that the Nomad can also move by truck or trailer.

Sikorsky markets the Fast Pack for rapid deployment from austere or infrastructure-limited sites. Sikorsky says that, depending on customer configuration, the kit can support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR-T), light attack and contested logistics. As reported by Army Times, Sikorsky's October 12 release did not say whether a Fast Pack has been built, or whether any military service has ordered or is evaluating one.

Nomad Variants and Their Sizes

The Nomad development family spans several airframe sizes, beginning with the subscale Nomad 50 technology demonstrator. As reported by Defense News, this initial prototype had a 10.3-foot composite wing, weighed 115 pounds, and flew on twin electric prop-rotors drawing battery power.

Defense News reports that in January 2025 the prototype completed more than 40 takeoffs and landings, including 30 transitions between helicopter and airplane modes. Defense News gives the prototype's top cruise speed as 86 knots.

Lockheed Martin lists the Nomad 100 as an 18-foot-wingspan Group 3 drone. Lockheed Martin's releases give no Nomad 100 performance figures, and Army Times reported on October 12 that Sikorsky had not released its payload, range or endurance. Two days later, The War Zone reported Sikorsky citing an endurance of 10 to 14 hours depending on payload and a range exceeding 800 nautical miles.

Sikorsky's figures in The War Zone put cruise speed at 70 miles per hour and dash speed at 90 miles per hour. Sikorsky's Ramsey Bentley told The War Zone that ten gallons of fuel provides over 10 hours of operation.

The War Zone reports a hybrid-electric drivetrain, with combustion engines running on JP-8, JP-4 or Jet A driving a generator that powers the rotors and mission systems. Lockheed Martin's July 2026 release does not call the Nomad 100 hybrid-electric.

Sikorsky has also outlined larger prospective designs for operational roles beyond Group 3. Sikorsky's Ramsey Bentley told The War Zone that one Nomad 500 fits in a 20-foot container and three fit in a 40-foot container. The War Zone says a single Nomad 1000 needs a 40-foot container.

Breaking Defense reported in October 2025 that Sikorsky executives see a Group 4 variant in the Gray Eagle role. The Group 4 variant was then in preliminary design, with no contract.

DARPA EVADE Flight Testing Program

Sikorsky says the Nomad 100 was developed with DARPA funding under EVADE. DARPA's June 2025 announcement says EVADE speeds up Phase 2 of its ANCILLARY (Advanced Aircraft Infrastructure-Less Launch and Recovery) program.

The same DARPA announcement says ANCILLARY Phase 2 flight testing had been projected for late 2026. Military & Aerospace Electronics reports that EVADE aims to evaluate autonomous VTOL aircraft under 330 pounds with better range, endurance and payload than existing systems in that class.

DARPA selected five industry performers for EVADE: Sikorsky with the Nomad 100, AeroVironment, Griffon Aerospace, Karem Aircraft, and Method Aeronautics. All five EVADE aircraft fly on Sikorsky's MATRIX autonomy software from takeoff to landing, DARPA says. DARPA says the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren's Battle Management System runs on every EVADE platform.

DARPA adds that the Battle Management System links to the Tactical Assault Kit, so EVADE aircraft need no dedicated ground control station.

Lockheed Martin announced on July 22, 2026, that the Nomad 100 had completed initial ground and flight testing for EVADE. Next, Sikorsky says, comes an intensive flight test campaign at a government facility. That campaign will replicate a range of multirole Nomad 100 missions.

DARPA planned in June 2025 to transition the EVADE aircraft to the U.S. military services by the end of 2025. Neither DARPA nor Sikorsky has said whether that transition happened.

How the Rotor-Blown Wing Works

A rotor-blown-wing aircraft takes off vertically like a helicopter and cruises on its wing like a fixed-wing aircraft. Sikorsky says the Nomad 100's twin prop-rotor system handles both the hover and the wing-borne cruise. The tail-sitting aircraft lifts off on proprotor thrust alone, so it needs no runway.

Once airborne, the aircraft pitches forward into level, wing-borne flight. The Aviationist reports that rotor wash flowing over the wing adds lift.

On return, the Nomad reverses the sequence, pitching up into a hover and landing on its tail. Sikorsky says the Nomad 100 is designed for runway-independent launch from naval vessels, tactical vehicle staging areas and improvised landing zones.

Where Nomad Fits in Group 3

The Nomad 100 sits in the Defense Department's Group 3 class, which The Aviationist puts at 56 to 1,320 pounds. Sikorsky's Ramsey Bentley told Breaking Defense in October 2025 that the Group 3 variant would take on what was the Shadow mission.

The War Zone reports that Sikorsky's AUSA 2026 display model carried a FLIR sensor turret with laser designation and four small Northrop Grumman Hatchet glide munitions. The War Zone says the Nomad 100 can carry a 60-pound mission payload. The War Zone's list of other potential payloads includes synthetic aperture radar, electronic warfare jamming and launched effects.

Confirmed Details and Unpublished Data

Lockheed Martin's releases confirm the rotor-blown-wing design and DARPA's choice of MATRIX autonomy for all five EVADE aircraft. The releases also confirm that the Nomad 100 completed initial EVADE testing in July 2026 and that the Fast Pack fits in a 20-foot container. Lockheed Martin's October 2025 release gives wingspans of 10.3 feet for the Nomad 50 prototype and 18 feet for the Nomad 100.

Sikorsky has published no official figures for Nomad 100 empty weight, maximum takeoff weight, procurement price, or sustainment costs. The War Zone's figures of 10 to 14 hours of endurance and more than 800 nautical miles of range appear in none of Lockheed Martin's releases.

DARPA's ANCILLARY benchmark of at least 12 hours at 100 nautical miles with a 60-pound payload uses different conditions, so the two endurance figures are not directly comparable.

Reports on Nomad orders and deliveries disagree. Sikorsky's Ramsey Bentley told The War Zone that two customers associated with EVADE had placed initial orders. The War Zone also wrote that Bentley told Army Times the Marine Corps is buying two Nomad 100s. The Army Times article of October 12 does not mention Bentley, the Marine Corps or any orders.

The War Zone adds that Sikorsky announced in July that the first of three EVADE Nomad 100s had been delivered. Lockheed Martin's July 22 release mentions no delivery. None of Lockheed Martin's releases names a customer, an order or a production schedule.