Ukraine Deploys British Windracers ULTRA Cargo Drones for Military Operations

 Summary

Key points  are:

1. Ukraine is operating the UK-developed Windracers Uncrewed Low-cost Transport (ULTRA) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and resupply missions since 2023.

2. ULTRA is a tactical UAV with a maximum take-off weight of 450 kg, a payload capacity of up to 100 kg, and an endurance of over 12 hours.

3. Windracers and Purdue University launched the world's first AI center focused on autonomous aviation called the Center on AI for Digital, Autonomous and Augmented Aviation (AIDA3).

4. AIDA3 will deliver innovations aimed at realizing the full potential of UAVs and related technologies, and serve as an anchor for R&D and a platform into the US market for Windracers.

5. Windracers will initially provide two ULTRA UAVs named Earhart and Armstrong for regular real-world testing at Purdue University Airport.

6. AIDA3 aims to develop AI and machine learning models for autonomous transportation applications, with the goal of enabling one operator to coordinate 100 UAVs simultaneously. 

Windracers

Windracers is a UK-based company that develops low-cost, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for various applications. The company was founded in 2017 with the initial goal of reducing the cost of delivering humanitarian aid to remote communities in Africa.

Key aspects of Windracers and its technology:

1. ULTRA UAV: Windracers' primary product is the ULTRA (Uncrewed Low-cost TRAnsport) UAV, a robust, twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft measuring 20 feet by 30 feet. It is designed to be a multi-purpose "Jeep of the skies" with high utilization and easy maintenance.
2. Autonomous capabilities: The ULTRA UAV can take off, fly, and land safely without the need for a remote pilot, thanks to Windracers' proprietary autopilot system called Masterless.
3. Flexible payload: The ULTRA UAV can carry up to 100 kg of payload and has a range of up to 1,000 km. It also has Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capability.
4. Applications: Windracers provides solutions across five sectors: Mail & Parcel, Humanitarian Assistance, Defense, Medical, and Environmental Protection.
5. Proven reliability: The ULTRA UAV has completed tens of thousands of kilometers of autonomous flights for the Royal Navy, UK Ministry of Defence, and British Antarctic Survey, among others.
6. Cost reduction focus: Windracers has a strong emphasis on cost reduction, which has influenced its aircraft design, use of non-specialized parts, autopilot system development, and manufacturing approach.
7. Collaboration with Purdue University: Windracers has partnered with Purdue University to launch the Center on AI for Digital, Autonomous and Augmented Aviation (AIDA3), which will serve as an anchor for R&D and a platform for Windracers to enter the US market.

Ukraine Deploys British Windracers ULTRA Cargo Drones for Military Operations – UAS VISION

uasvision.com

by The Editor

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Ukraine is operating the UK-developed Windracers Uncrewed Low-cost Transport (ULTRA) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Janes has learnt.

ULTRA is a tactical UAV designed to support resupply. Speaking to Janes on 4 April, Simon Muderack, the CEO of Windracers and Distributed Avionics, revealed that its UAV has been conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and supporting resupply for the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2023.

Although Muderack did not specify exact dates or the number of aircraft provided, Janes understands the UK Ministry of Defence procured the aircraft on behalf of the Ukrainian armed forces, supplying it as aid. A defence source told Janes the procurement and supply of ULTRA is part of the UK’s GBP 325 million (USD413 million) UAV support programme to Ukraine.

According to Janes data, ULTRA is a tactical UAV with a maximum take-off weight of 450 kg, featuring an internal cargo bay that supports a payload capacity of up to 100 kg. The bay can also fit a sensor package for ISR roles, the company said. The system has a nominal endurance of over 12 hours and can automatically take-off and land within 150 m in wet and dry conditions.

Muderack highlighted the autonomous capabilities of the system, saying it enables the UAV to conduct missions at night. Windracers says its autopilot and flight control technology from group company Distributed Avionics is intended to provide connection to the UAV from any location, using beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and with no single flight computer controlling the aircraft.

Source: Janes

 

AIDA³ will serve as anchor for R&D and platform into US market
for UK self-flying aircraft developer Windracers

Windracers' ULTRA UAVs to be based at the Purdue University Airport

Windracers lands in US with World’s First AI Self-Flying Lab at Purdue

Press

suasnews.com

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Center on AI for Digital, Autonomous and Augmented Aviation (AIDA³) will serve as anchor for R&D and platform into US market for UK self-flying aircraft developer Windracers

Windracers ULTRA UAVs to be based at the same Purdue University Airport that served as the world-flight research home for legendary aviatrix Amelia Earhart 

Windracers, the low cost platform for autonomous air transport, and Purdue University today launched the world’s first AI center focused on autonomous aviation. The pioneering Center on AI for Digital, Autonomous and Augmented Aviation (AIDA³) will deliver innovations aimed at realizing the full transformational potential of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related technologies. The partnership will also serve as an anchor for R&D and a platform into the US market for Windracers.

Windracers was founded in 2017 and was originally conceived to bring down the cost of delivering humanitarian aid to remote communities in Africa. Its relentless focus on cost reduction has shaped everything from the design of the aircraft and its use of non-specialised parts, to the development of its proprietary autopilot system and its approach to manufacturing.

Its ULTRA UAV – a robust, twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft which measures 20 feet by 30 feet – is a multi-purpose ‘Jeep of the skies’ which offers high utilization and is easy to maintain. It can take off, fly and land safely without the need of a remote pilot thanks to its proprietary Masterless autopilot system. Its capabilities span Detect, Drop and Deliver, with applications ranging from the delivery of parcels and humanitarian aid to defense. 

Designed for extreme environments, both the aircraft and the flight control system incorporate a high level of redundancy and the high-reliability nature of its platform has been proven – it has completed tens of thousands of kilometres of autonomous flights for the Royal Navy, UK Ministry of Defence and British Antarctic Survey among others. 

With the launch of AIDA³, Windracers will collaborate closely with Purdue University – a renowned engineering school with deep ties to the US military – to ensure self-flying aircraft can be operated efficiently and at scale. AIDA³ will investigate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models for autonomous transportation applications ranging from demand analytics and maintenance in commercial logistics to meteorological sensing and real-time weather prediction. 

To support the R&D programming at AIDA³, Windracers will initially provide two of its ULTRA UAVs for regular real-world testing, based at the same Purdue University Airport that served as the world-flight research home for legendary aviatrix Amelia Earhart in the 1930s. The first two UAVs will be named Earhart and Armstrong (after Neil Armstrong, one of Purdue’s many storied alumni).

“We are enormously excited to launch this pioneering AI center with Purdue University, a highly respected academic institution whose alumni include the first and most recent humans to step on the moon. Our ambition is to take another giant leap and revolutionize the aviation industry so that it is low cost and fully automated,” said Stephen Wright, Founder and Executive Chairman at Windracers. “This unique collaboration will be the anchor of our R&D and will serve as a platform for the US, a large and dynamic market which is embracing the potential of autonomous aviation.”

AIDA³’s approach is what sets it apart. Existing AI/ML models are not sufficiently reliable to close the loop from data to actions in the real-world that is safe, trustworthy and scalable, said Sabine Brunswicker, AIDA³ director and Purdue professor of digital innovation and communication. 

“Currently, it can take 10 people to operate one UAV. It is time for one operator to be able to coordinate 100 UAVs at the same time” she said. “Our mission is to go beyond current AI/ML models where the potential benefits of smarter UAVs can be fully realized globally. If AIDA is successful, its breakthroughs can truly transform society at scale.”

AIDA³ is the first major output of Purdue’s Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence (IPAI), whose purpose is to develop AI at the intersection of the virtual and physical worlds.

To learn more about AIDA³, go to https://www.purdue.edu/computes/aida3.

About Purdue

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top 4 in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 12 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes, at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives

About Windracers

Windracers making self-flying aircraft an everyday reality with a low cost and dependable platform that has been designed and built to scale. From eliminating the need for a pilot to developing a flexible platform that offers high utilization and is easy to use and maintain, its ultimate goal is to bring down the cost for the end user.

Powered by its autopilot technology Masterless™, Windracers’ ULTRA UAV delivers an autonomous solution from engines on to engines off. The robust and cost-effective ULTRA (Uncrewed Low-cost TRAnsport) platform can carry 100 kg up to 1,000 km and has Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capability. With a flexible payload, Windracers Group provides solutions across five sectors: Mail & Parcel, Humanitarian Assistance, Defense, Medical and Environmental Protection.