DSEI: Windracers signs deal to deploy ULTRA cargo drone with Indian military
September 11, 2025
UK drone maker Windracers has signed a partnership with India’s Bharat Forge to bring its heavy-lift ULTRA cargo UAV into Indian service.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at DSEI UK 2025, covers localisation, joint trials and potential deployment of ULTRA for military and civilian use in India. The two-year agreement builds on the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and supports the goals of the India-UK Vision 2035 strategy.
Windracers drone to support Indian forces with logistics and more
The Windracers ULTRA is a dual-use unmanned aircraft designed to carry up to 150kg of cargo over 1,000km, with an endurance of six to seven hours. Already proven in extreme conditions, including Antarctic resupply missions, the platform is engineered for routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations and can take off and land on rough or improvised surfaces.
For India, the aircraft is expected to support carrier-on-board delivery for the Navy, critical logistics for the Army and Air Force, and wider humanitarian or commercial missions in remote regions.
Amit Kalyani, Joint Managing Director of Bharat Forge, said ULTRA “enhances India’s indigenous UAV capabilities” and is well-suited to high-altitude, maritime and remote environments.
Windracers CEO Simon Muderack called the tie-up “a major step in expanding the dual-use operation of Windracers ULTRA” and one that will deliver “strategic benefits and operational autonomy” for India.
ULTRA: The drone that delivers from Africa to Antarctica
Windracers has been busy scaling up both its operations and its mission portfolio. The company recently opened a major new production facility in Hampshire, set to more than double ULTRA output by the end of 2025 and create dozens of skilled jobs.
Its ULTRA drones have also been flying scientific missions in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey, gathering magnetic and gravity data from previously unexplored areas.
A new ULTRA Mk2 variant has been introduced, offering greater endurance and payload capacity.
Beyond research, Windracers is positioning itself as a humanitarian enabler, with a hub in Malawi to demonstrate middle-mile delivery of aid across Africa. Together with partners such as Aviation Sans Frontières, the company is proving ULTRA’s versatility for defence, civil, and relief operations worldwide.
