Windracers has unveiled the firm’s next generation of self-flying cargo aircraft—Windracers ULTRA MK2—with double the power output of its predecessor, the Windracers cargo drone brings a 50% increase in useful payload as well as a significant reduction in fuel costs, while strengthening its position as the low-cost cargo drone of choice for middle mile logistics.
The Windracers ULTRA aircraft, originally conceived to bring down the cost of delivering humanitarian aid to remote communities, is designed and manufactured in the UK and is the most accomplished, low-cost, heavy lift, long-distance cargo drone available today, according to the company. Windracers ULTRA is operational today in Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States, enabling organizations to transport meaningful payloads to hard-to-reach places quickly, safely and cost-effectively.
Windracers ULTRA MK2 can take-off, fly and land safely without the need for a remote pilot and with minimal ground operator oversight, whether day, night or in fog. ULTRA MK2 is controlled by its proprietary autopilot system, Windracers Autopilot™, a multi-layered flight control system that is robust against flight control unit failures and sensor failures. ULTRA MK2 includes Windracers Mission Control™, a route planning and aircraft monitoring system with an intuitive interface that requires minimal training.
With the launch of its ULTRA MK2 self-flying cargo aircraft, Windracers further extends its position as the low-cost cargo drone of choice for middle-mile logistics. The robust 10 meter wingspan ULTRA MK2 features two 50 hp Hirth F23 engines, doubling the power output of its predecessor. ULTRA MK2 provides a significantly enhanced useful payload of 150 kg, while halving fuel costs per kg.
The multi-purpose Windracers ULTRA platform can detect, drop and deliver. It has numerous practical applications spanning Mail & Parcel, Humanitarian Assistance, Defence, Medical, and Environmental Protection. Windracers is trusted by organizations with the most exacting standards – including British Antarctic Survey, Aviation San Frontières, NORCE, Lancashire Fire and Rescue, Royal Mail, Royal Navy and UK Ministry of Defence.
Windracers has completed hundreds of thousands of kilometres of autonomous flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in some of the world’s most hostile environments, from Scotland’s Orkney Islands to Antarctica. Its UAV has also been conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and supporting resupply for the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2023 as part of the UK Ministry of Defence UAV support program.
The launch of the ULTRA MK2 comes as governments, regulators and logistics companies increasingly recognize the inevitable transition to autonomous flight. The UK Government recently announced a Regulatory Innovation Office to speed up access to new technologies including cargo drones.
“The launch of ULTRA MK2 is proof that Windracers has moved rapidly from an idea to a commercial organization that is meeting the needs of customers today,” said Founder and Group Executive Chairman, Stephen Wright. “I am so proud of the Windracers team who have performed phenomenally to bring ULTRA MK2 to market in a very short time period and for ULTRA development over the last eight years. I know the team shares my excitement as we see the operational impact of ULTRA MK2 for our customers to help people around the world.”
“From eliminating the need for a pilot to developing a multi-mission platform that is dependable and easy to use and maintain, our ultimate goal is to bring down the cost for the end user,” said Simon Thompson, Group CEO of Windracers. “In ULTRA MK2, we have halved our operational fuel cost per kilogram and we will find even more efficiency in the future for our customers.”
Rune Storvold, SVP of Observational Systems for NORCE, detailed how ULTRA MK2 will carry two types of radar systems to detect changes to the Antarctic climate. Benoit Gaborit, Head of Mission for Aviation Sans Frontières, spoke of how ULTRA MK2 will, for the first time, integrate a heavy-lift, long-distance drone into the humanitarian aid supply chain to establish a service that can work in rapidly changing conditions.
