CFX-125 Nomad: Shahed-136 Fidelity. Live-Fire Cost.

In Flight Test | IOC October 2026

Nomad replicates the Shahed-136 class long-range one-way attack threat — large delta-wing airframe, extended-range approach, piston-powered propulsion — at the visual and behavioral fidelity that forces your operators to detect, classify, and track the actual threat geometry at the actual engagement distances. Not a silhouette of the threat. The threat.

The Training Problem

Your Operators Have Never Seen It Coming. Not at This Range. Not at This Size.

The Shahed-136 class threat doesn’t challenge C-UAS defenses with speed or acoustic stealth. It challenges them with range, size, and the visual recognition problem that comes with both.

A large delta-wing airframe approaching from tens of kilometers away presents a detection and classification challenge that no small quadcopter or high-speed tactical system replicates. Operators must identify the threat type at distance — before the engagement window opens — using sensors calibrated for a form factor most training environments have never placed in their field of view. Early detection isn’t optional. It’s the only way to create the tracking and engagement timeline that a long-range OWA threat demands. Most training environments have never put a Shahed-136 class target in the sky. Sensors have never tracked one at range. Operators have never made the call.

Nomad puts it in the sky. At live-fire cost.

WHAT NOMAD IS

Shahed-136 Class. Large Form Factor. Purpose-Built for the Long-Range Fight.

The CFX-125 Nomad is a fixed-wing aerial target system purpose-built to replicate the Shahed-136 class long-range one-way attack threat — large delta-wing airframe, piston-powered propulsion, extended-range approach profile, and the visual and acoustic fidelity that makes it genuinely difficult to distinguish from the operational threat at training distances. Where Desert Lance replicates the Shahed-101 class (smaller-form-factor, battlefield-range loitering munition), Nomad replicates the Shahed-136 class: a larger, heavier, strategically-range capable system with a significantly different form factor, radar cross-section, and visual recognition signature.

Nomad’s delta-wing configuration is not an aesthetic choice — it is the specific visual geometry that C-UAS operators, detection systems, and radar operators need to train against. Recognizing a Shahed-136 class threat at range, classifying it correctly under time pressure, and coordinating an engagement response before it closes to terminal approach requires practice against the actual form factor. Nomad delivers that. A modular payload bay supports instrumentation, telemetry, and mission-specific sensors, making Nomad equally capable in test and evaluation environments requiring high-fidelity threat replication at range.

Unlike simplified platforms that lack the visual fidelity and extended-range approach profiles required to replicate strategic OWA threats, Nomad is purpose-built and U.S.-manufactured — engineered to deliver both the appearance and behavior of the Shahed-136 class with the operational consistency that training and test programs demand.

NDAA-compliant variants will integrate ABSI’s own U.S.-manufactured flight controller from the outset — developed to ABSI’s flight controller standard with no legacy avionics to transition upon production release. Remaining avionics components are sourced from NDAA-compliant supply chains, with a full ABSI-developed avionics stack on the roadmap.

Key Capabilities

Shahed-136 Class Visual and Behavioral Fidelity
Delta-wing airframe, piston-powered propulsion, and extended-range approach profile replicate the specific visual geometry, acoustic signature, and flight behavior of the Shahed-136 class threat — not an approximation, but the form factor operators will face.
Long-Range Detection and Classification Training
Forces operators to detect, classify, and track a large-form-factor threat at the distances that Shahed-136 class approach profiles require — building the early detection competency that short-range training environments cannot develop.
End-to-End Engagement Training
Covers the full Shahed-136 engagement timeline: early detection at range, sustained classification and tracking, engagement planning, and terminal strike profile. No phase of the engagement sequence is skipped.
Modular Payload Architecture
Accommodates instrumentation, telemetry, and mission-specific sensors — supporting both training and test and evaluation requirements without platform redesign.
Two Procurement Configurations
Available in NDAA-compliant variant for standard DoD procurement, and C-UAS training-optimized variant under the Section 817 FY2023 NDAA exemption — for maximum threat fidelity including authentic Shahed-136 class emissions and signatures.

SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS

Airframe Type	Fixed-wing, delta-wing configuration — replicates Shahed-136 class visual geometry and radar cross-section
Threat Class	Shahed-136 class long-range OWA — large form factor, strategic range, distinct from Shahed-101 class (Desert Lance)
Propulsion	Piston-powered — replicates Shahed-136 class acoustic signature
Approach Profile	Extended-range, sustained transit — forces early detection, classification, and tracking at distance
Flight Profile	Long-range ingress with terminal strike/dive profile on command or mission trigger
Visual Fidelity	Delta-wing airframe sized and shaped to replicate Shahed-136 class form factor at operational training distances
Airframe Design	Recoverable — supports repeated training sorties; terminal strike profile available
Launch Options	Ground-origin. Truck-based and catapult deployment in development.
Payload Bay	Modular — instrumentation, telemetry, and mission-specific sensors
Flight Controller	ABSI-designed, U.S.-manufactured — integrated from the outset. No legacy avionics to transition upon production release.
Other Avionics	Sourced from NDAA-compliant supply chains. Full ABSI-developed avionics stack on the roadmap.
NDAA-Compliant Variant	Supply chain validated for NDAA compliance. Standard DoD procurement — no exception-to-policy required.
C-UAS Training Variant	Authentic Shahed-136 class adversary component set. Procured under Section 817, FY2023 NDAA exemption.
IOC	October 2026 — currently in flight test. Engage now for mission-driven requirements and early access.

Detailed performance parameters, system configurations, and integration options are tailored to mission requirements. Contact our team to discuss how Nomad can support your specific long-range OWA training, test, and evaluation objectives.

Use Cases - Applications

Primary

Shahed-136 class threat emulation for long-range detection, classification, and engagement training
Detection and tracking system validation against large-form-factor OWA threats at range
Live-fire engagement against long-range, extended-approach one-way attack profiles
Development and validation of C-UAS TTPs for Shahed-136 class long-range OWA threats

Secondary

Extended-range scenario development and evaluation for advanced C-UAS programs
Joint and coalition training involving large-form-factor threat systems
Multi-system coordinated scenarios within ABSI GCS ecosystem — Shahed-136 layer combined with swarm, loitering munition, and high-speed threat profiles
Advanced TTP development for long-range detection and engagement sequencing

ABSI AERIAL TARGETS ECOSYSTEM

One control system. Every threat class. Seamless training at scale.

Nomad is the Shahed-136 class long-range OWA layer within the ABSI aerial target ecosystem — the large-form-factor strategic threat that extends the training envelope beyond what swarm, loitering munition, and high-speed systems can replicate. Within the common GCS architecture, Nomad’s long-range approach profiles can be layered into coordinated multi-threat scenarios alongside Gnat Storm’s swarm density, Desert Lance’s Shahed-101 class loitering munition profiles, and Pit Viper’s high-speed tactical threat — replicating the full complexity of how adversaries actually combine threat classes in operational employment.

Acquisition Pathway

In Flight Test. IOC October 2026. Engage Now.

Nomad is in flight test with initial operational capability anticipated October 2026. The system will be available to U.S. government customers, prime contractors, and authorized partners through the Defense Logistics Agency’s Special Operational Equipment Tailored Logistic Support (DLA SOE/TLS) program and direct contracting pathways. Additional launch options including truck-based and catapult deployment are in development.

Program offices with FY2026 or FY2027 requirements should engage ABSI now to discuss mission-driven configurations, shape delivery timelines, and secure early access. Development timelines are adaptable to support accelerated customer requirements.

Available in both NDAA-compliant and C-UAS training-optimized configurations. Your acquisition pathway determines your configuration — not your vendor.

Not sure which configuration fits your program?

The C-UAS training-optimized variant is available under Section 817 of the FY2023 NDAA — a statutory exemption that gives counter-UAS training programs explicit authority to procure authentic adversary component systems without standard NDAA supply chain restrictions. Contact ABSI and we’ll walk your team through the pathway.

Range Defines the Fight. Train for It.

Nomad delivers Shahed-136 class visual and behavioral fidelity at live-fire cost — putting the actual threat geometry in the sky so your operators can build the detection, classification, and engagement proficiency the long-range OWA threat demands. IOC October 2026. Engage now.