Sikorsky’s Nomad drones take DARPA’s EVADE challenge airborne with rotor-blown wing tech
October 7, 2025
Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky division has unveiled Nomad, a scalable family of rotor-blown-wing aircraft that could transform how militaries and eventually civilians operate in contested, infrastructure-poor environments.
The Nomad line, which draws its roots from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration (EVADE) initiative, combines the agility of helicopters with the endurance and speed of fixed-wing aircraft.
Capable of launching and landing almost anywhere, the system is being built to fly autonomously, perform reconnaissance, light attack and logistics missions and, crucially, operate without the need for runways or large support infrastructure.
Sikorsky’s Nomad family: Flying, fighting and landing anywhere
Sikorsky’s Nomad fleet is envisioned as a family of drones, ranging from Group 3 aircraft the size of the Army’s retired RQ-7 Shadow to Group 4 and 5 variants comparable to the MQ-1C Gray Eagle or even the Black Hawk helicopter.
“The resulting Nomad family of drones will be adaptable, go-anywhere, runway-independent aircraft capable of land and sea-based missions across defence, national security, forestry and civilian organisations,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky’s vice-president and general manager.
Built around Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy suite, Nomad drones can take off, hover, transition to wing-borne flight and return to land, all without a pilot. MATRIX, developed in partnership with DARPA, has already been tested across a range of platforms, from resupply missions to firefighting.
The aircraft are powered by hybrid-electric drivetrains to maximise endurance and minimise thermal and acoustic signatures. Larger variants will use conventional propulsion systems, allowing higher payloads and greater range.
How DARPA’s EVADE programme shaped Nomad’s evolution
While Sikorsky is developing Nomad through its own investment, its technology is deeply tied to DARPA’s EVADE (Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration) programme, a fast-track initiative designed to push advanced VTOL drones from concept to field demonstration.
EVADE aims to deliver long-endurance, infrastructure-independent drones that can operate near frontlines or from ships, offering capabilities once reserved for far larger aircraft. Unlike traditional programmes that prioritise perfection before testing, EVADE focuses on rapid prototyping and early flight, so engineers can learn and adapt quickly.
“With EVADE, our focus is on speed of development, not on first flight perfection,” said DARPA programme manager Phillip Smith, a US Marine Corps Reserve officer and former AV-8B Harrier pilot. “The faster we can get these aircraft airborne, the quicker we can identify and resolve issues and deliver game-changing capability to warfighters.”
Under EVADE, DARPA has tapped five American companies – Sikorsky, AeroVironment, Griffon Aerospace, Karem Aircraft and Method Aeronautics – to build prototype aircraft.
Each design must be capable of 12 hours endurance at 100 nautical miles with a 60-pound payload, while remaining easy to launch, recover and operate without special infrastructure.
The rotor-blown wing: The physics behind Nomad’s agility
At the heart of Nomad’s innovation is its rotor-blown wing, a design concept that channels the airflow from the rotors across the wings to provide lift even at low speeds.
This allows Nomad aircraft to take off vertically like helicopters, then transition smoothly into forward flight like fixed-wing aircraft, achieving much higher cruise speeds and range than conventional VTOL drones.
The concept was born during DARPA’s earlier VTOL X-Plane competition in 2018. Though Sikorsky did not proceed beyond Phase Two, the company continued refining the idea. “We answered DARPA’s questions on how to design a hovering machine that can also operate at high speed, beyond the limits of edgewise flight,” said Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations, which leads the Nomad development.
By early 2025, Sikorsky’s Nomad 50 prototype, a 52-kg twin-proprotor aircraft with a 10.3-ft wingspan, had completed more than 40 take-offs and landings and 30 transitions between helicopter and airplane modes, reaching 86 knots in horizontal flight. A larger Nomad 100, with an 18-ft wingspan, is now under construction and expected to fly soon.
“Our rotor-blown wing has demonstrated the control power and unique handling qualities necessary to transition predictably and efficiently,” said Cherepinsky.
From DARPA concept to field-ready military platform
The Group 3 Nomad variant, roughly comparable in size to the Army’s retired Shadow UAS, is being designed for brigade-level reconnaissance, surveillance and light attack missions. It can carry around 500 lb of payload and could serve as a replacement for the Shadow fleet the Army plans to phase out by 2026.
The Group 4 Nomad, still in preliminary design, will have a greater range and endurance, suitable for division or corps-level operations. According to Cherepinsky, “We’re going to go build one and demonstrate it anyway sometime within a year.”
Erskine “Ramsey” Bentley, Sikorsky’s director of advanced programmes, said the Nomad systems are multi-role and multi-service by design, capable of performing ISR, cargo, logistics resupply, light strike, maritime patrol, and communications relay missions. “We could use these for spotting wildfires, humanitarian assistance or shipboard operations,” he noted.
EVADE and ANCILLARY: The Pentagon’s new approach to rapid air power
EVADE is part of DARPA’s wider ANCILLARY (AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY) programme, which aims to develop small, runway-independent drones with Group 4 or Group 5 performance.
The EVADE approach focuses on democratising air power, giving even small operational units or naval ships access to high-end aerial capability without relying on large bases or runways.
Each EVADE aircraft uses Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy algorithms, originally developed under DARPA’s ALIAS programme, to control all aspects of flight – from take-off to navigation and landing.
These aircraft also integrate with the US Navy’s Battle Management System (BMS), enabling real-time data sharing with troops using standard digital kits.
As Smith explained, “EVADE is designed to democratise air power across the military, empowering the smallest operational units to directly receive and control an air asset when needed.”
Sikorsky’s Nomad: A step into autonomy
For Sikorsky, Nomad represents both a continuation of its rotorcraft legacy and a leap into the autonomous future.
“Combining helicopter and aeroplane flight characteristics onto a flying wing reflects our drive to innovate next-generation VTOL aircraft,” said Benton. “Our rotor-blown wing platform is an example of how we’re leveraging our 102-year heritage to meet emerging missions.”
US military planners see potential not just for tactical use, but also for shipborne logistics, search and rescue, and special operations, particularly in Indo-Pacific maritime environments where runway access is limited.
Beyond defence, Sikorsky envisions Nomad drones being adapted for civilian missions, including disaster relief, firefighting, and environmental monitoring.
Sikorsky’s Nomad aircraft are still in the prototype stage, but the company plans to scale rapidly through the late 2020s. DARPA expects EVADE demonstrators to transition to military service evaluation by the end of this year, paving the way for operational deployment soon after.
For the Pentagon, the project is not just about a single aircraft but about creating an entire ecosystem of advanced, infrastructure-free air systems.
As Smith put it: “We’re taking a 360-degree view from performance and usability to manufacturing and certification to ensure we rapidly deliver a game-changing capability.”
