Sikorsky’s Nomad 100 hits a DARPA EVADE testing milestone, advancing autonomy for uncrewed VTOL missions

Lockheed Martin says its Sikorsky business has completed initial ground and flight testing of the Nomad 100 uncrewed aerial system (UAS) with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the agency’s Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration (EVADE) program. The company described the milestone as a step in integrating and maturing autonomy for aircraft expected to operate in contested, rapidly changing environments, where reliability and operator control are central.

In its announcement, Sikorsky said Nomad 100 testing began with initial ground verification and then moved through an initial flight test phase as part of the EVADE effort. The next step is an intensive flight test campaign at a government facility, where the aircraft will be evaluated against multiple multirole Nomad 100 mission profiles designed to replicate how the system would be used in the field.

Sikorsky framed Nomad 100 as an element of “crewed-uncrewed team” operations, rather than a standalone replacement for manned aviation. In comments included in the release, Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky, said Nomad would be used to complement missions ranging from austere forward operating bases to ship decks and unimproved landing zones, supporting operators with a mission capability gap, while autonomy remains a key focus.

Autonomy, in particular, is positioned by the company as the core technology thread through EVADE. DARPA selected Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomous technology as the autonomy solution integrated into all five platforms performing under the EVADE program. The release presents MATRIX as an “industry standard for safe and reliable autonomy,” with performance evidence expressed in cumulative flight hours, test outcomes, operator training, and breadth of platform integration.

Lockheed Martin said MATRIX has logged 1,000+ flight hours, supported 500+ successful tests and demonstrations, and enabled training for 100+ operators drawn from the Department of War and firefighting communities. The company also said the autonomy has been integrated across 20+ different platforms to date, and that it is designed to support operator-commanded systems that plan, execute, and adapt operations in dynamic environments, rather than only “self-fly” concepts.

Beyond Nomad 100, Sikorsky said its other fully autonomous platforms include the S-70UAS U-Hawk and a hybrid electric demonstrator (HEX), both enabled by MATRIX autonomy. The company also linked its UAS push to its rotorcraft heritage, saying Nomad represents an entry into the uncrewed market by combining rotorcraft and autonomy experience with artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and electric propulsion to deliver a VTOL platform it expects to scale and remain lower-cost relative to alternatives.

In addition to the EVADE step, the release described Lockheed Martin’s broader approach to autonomy as mission-centric evolution. The company said the goal is to move beyond simple autonomy that pilots itself, toward systems that can work directly with operators at the tactical edge, supporting “crew-uncrewed teaming” in environments where communications, threat patterns, and operational constraints can change quickly.

For all the technical progress highlighted, the announcement leaves several details unresolved that typically matter to observers of defense test programs. It does not specify the number of flights completed during the initial phase, the test conditions, or the measured performance outcomes for safety, navigation accuracy, or autonomy behavior under challenging scenarios. It also does not disclose contract value, delivery schedules, or how the test campaign outcomes will translate into subsequent procurement decisions.

Looking ahead, Sikorsky indicated that the next phase will occur during an intensive flight test campaign at a government facility and will replicate a “host” of multirole Nomad 100 missions. What to watch next is whether test results validate autonomy robustness across varied landing and operating surfaces, whether the system’s operator-commanded mission planning meets expectations under contested conditions, and how EVADE’s findings might shape follow-on deployments or integration into larger crewed-uncrewed aviation concepts.