US Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado LCS-4 tests new Nomad EW drone on sidelines of Exercise Pacific Griffin

Revision dated 6 September 2017: After the blog entry below was posted on 5 September'17, we found out that Nomad stands for Netted Offboard Miniature Active Decoy. It is a 3-foot long UAV with a rotor diameter of 6 feet. The Nomad decoy is launched from a tube 4 feet in length with a diameter of 6 inches. According to the US Office of Naval Research:

• Nomad is a rotary wing UAV specific for electronic warfare operations
• It is tube-launched for compact storage and rapid deployment
• The decoy is designed to work in multi-Nomad teams or formations. In other words, swarm UAV tactics.
• It is a low-cost design for expendable or recoverable operations.

H/T Shawn Chung 

Civilian contractors from the Office of Naval Research conduct a test on a Nomad drone system aboard the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4). Coronado is on a rotational deployment in U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, patrolling the region's littorals and working hull-to-hull with partner navies to provide 7th Fleet with the flexible capabilities it needs now and in the future. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaleb R. Staples/Released)


The United States Navy has tested a drone system - apparently new to Google - called "Nomad" from the flight deck of the Littoral Combat Ship, USS Coronado (LCS-4). Nomad is short for Netted Offboard Miniature Active Decoy.

The drone was vertically-launched from a bank of four tubes and carried aloft by propulsion mechanisms that apparently unfold upon launch. The Nomads recovered in vertical position, propped up by four "legs".

It is possible that the Nomad is a type of lightweight, expendable UAS that can operate as a solitary unit or coordinated for swarm tactics.

A Google search failed to uncover more information on the Nomad drone system, whose [See note above dated 6 Sep'17] The trials were administered by "civilian contractors" from the US Navy's Office of Naval Research. According to a US Navy release, the trials took place in the Philippine Sea on 28 August 2017.

Forward deployed at the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) RSS Singapura Changi Naval Base, Coronado recently took part in the first joint USN-RSN naval manoeuvres, codenamed Exercise Pacific Griffin (XPG). The war games took place off the US Pacific island territory of Guam from 19 August to 2 September 2017.

A Nomad drone launches from the flight deck of the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4). Coronado is on a rotational deployment in U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, patrolling the region's littorals and working hull-to-hull with partner navies to provide 7th Fleet with the flexible capabilities it needs now and in the future. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaleb R. Staples/Released)

A Nomad drone lands on the flight deck of the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4). Coronado is on a rotational deployment in U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, patrolling the region's littorals and working hull-to-hull with partner navies to provide 7th Fleet with the flexible capabilities it needs now and in the future. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaleb R. Staples/Released)

The trials of Nomad indicate that Coronado deployed off Guam with at least two unmanned aerial systems. Apart from Nomad, the LCS embarked the MQ-8B Firescout, which was employed to feed targeting data back to the ship via the MH-60S Seahawk during an anti-surface engagement.

Both assets are fielded by the US Navy's Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, which had a detachment aboard Coronado for the duration of XPG as well as naval activities conducted on the sidelines of the exercise.

The MH-60S/MQ-8B combo is the first of its kind in the US Navy. Sending the Firescout aloft extends the eyes and ears of the LCS, contributing high-value track data to the air and sea situation picture compiled in realtime for the Coronado's warfighters.

Drones are not new to the Singapore Navy. The Formidable-class stealth frigates (FFS) have tested at least two types of UAS. The types tested aboard the FFS include the ScanEagle, currently deployed aboard Victory-class Missile Corvettes for mid-range scouting missions.

Swarm UAVs are an endeavour spearheaded by Singaporean defence science community in support of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). A sanitised, civilian application was demonstrated at Singapore's 52nd National Day this year, with 300 tightly coordinated UAVs displayed as part of a light-and-sound show. See below.

Higher up the evolutionary ladder are large UAVs, whose roles go beyond merely providing visual reconnaissance or target designation functions for SAF manoeuvre forces. Such assets are likely to co-exist with manned Republic of Singapore Air Force air platforms in the coming decade.