Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has introduced the Nomad 100 fast pack, a containerised uncrewed aircraft kit built to deploy autonomous air capability from remote and infrastructure-poor locations, according to Sikorsky.
The system fits inside a single 20-foot ISO container. It houses four Nomad 100 vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, along with mission-command software, power, communications and sustainment equipment. Sikorsky designed the package for rapid set-up and minimal personnel requirements.
Rapid launch from improvised sites
In its planned configuration, two aircraft can be mission ready in under 15 minutes. Two more follow within four to six hours. Crews can launch from naval vessels, tactical vehicle staging areas and improvised landing zones without a runway.
Integrated power, communications and sustainment equipment should extend mission availability with less external support. Once an operation ends, crews can repack the container, load it onto a compatible transport vehicle and move it to a new site for follow-on tasks.
Meeting demand for autonomous systems
The launch responds to a U.S. military push to expand its inventory of uncrewed aircraft. Commanders want compact, low-footprint systems they can deploy, sustain and reposition quickly in contested environments.
“Military leaders are challenging industry to expand the inventory of uncrewed aircraft,” said Rich Benton, vice president and general manager at Sikorsky. He said the company is delivering proven autonomous capability with speed and scale.
Depending on customer configuration, the fast pack can support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR-T), light attack and contested logistics missions.
Part of a wider autonomy family
Nomad 100 belongs to Sikorsky’s Nomad family of runway-independent VTOL systems, which operate across land and sea. The aircraft use MATRIX autonomy. They combine a helicopter’s vertical lift and hover with the speed, range and endurance of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Lockheed Martin says its autonomy work now moves beyond simple “self-fly” concepts towards operator-commanded systems that plan, execute and adapt complex operations.
Learn more on Lockheed Martin’s website
