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Unmanned Systems

Sikorsky Developing Nomad Prop-Rotor Drones, Larger Variants May Have 500-Pound Payload

Frank Wolfe

Monday, October 6th, 2025

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Sikorsky Developing Nomad Prop-Rotor Drones, Larger Variants May Have 500-Pound Payload

Pictured is a Sikorsky photo of a Nomad 50 prototype in flight testing in the spring.

Lockheed Martin's [LMT] Sikorsky is developing autonomous, twin prop-rotor Nomad drones, based on the company's rotor blown wing vertical take-off and landing concept. "The twin prop-rotor design combines the versatility of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing airplane," Sikorsky said on Monday. "A Nomad aircraft can take off, hover, and land vertically, plus cruise on the wing for extended periods.  Nomads are operated via Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy technology and predominantly use hybrid-electric propulsion, while larger variants…

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