Windracers ULTRA drones selected for remote delivery trials in Alaska
May 10, 2025
Windracers, a UK-based company specialising in autonomous cargo aircraft, has secured a contract with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) to provide two ULTRA MK1 drones for a major initiative to improve logistics to remote communities across Alaska.
The ULTRA MK1 aircraft will be deployed by the university’s Alaska Center for UAS Integration (ACUASI), a research institution for drone technologies in the United States.
The companies said the partnership aims to test and refine best practices for uncrewed aircraft operations in some of the harshest and most logistically challenging environments in North America.
“Air cargo delivery for resupply of our remote communities is vital to life in Alaska so we purchased Windracers ULTRA to better test the possibilities,” said ACUASI Director Cathy Cahill.
“We need aircraft such as Windracers that can cover long distances, carry the weight of emergency supplies and do so reliably, regularly and safely. Our goal is to create an environment for the commercial sector in which UAVs, including self-flying cargo aircraft, become ubiquitous in Alaska and beyond.”
Simon Muderack, CEO of Windracers, said: “Windracers is immensely proud that UAF has chosen ULTRA to meet their need for air cargo delivery services that can reliably fly in difficult weather and at a much lower cost to support very isolated communities with everyday essentials.”
“Windracers ULTRA is uniquely suited to support ACUASI through its multi-mission capability and its polar pedigree from Antarctic mission experience in January 2024,” Muderack added. “The Windracers team looks forward to growing partnership with UAF and ACUASI, delivering on their mission of testing supply to remote communities in Alaska.”
With a payload capacity exceeding 100 kilograms and a flight range of up to 1,000 kilometres, the ULTRA platform has been used in a diverse set of environments. These include beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions for defence applications in Ukraine, aerial survey work in Antarctica, and parcel deliveries to remote UK islands. The aircraft has also been used for parachute drops of medical supplies in Africa.
