UK cargo drone developer Windracers is gearing up to build more than 100 examples of its Ultra Mk2 aircraft this year as it ramps up production to meet soaring demand.
Windracers has enjoyed recent sales success in both the civil and military markets, including the deployment of dozens of Ultras to Ukraine via a deal with the UK Ministry of Defence.
Although staying coy on exact numbers due to sensitivities around future quantities likely to be delivered to Ukraine, chief executive Simon Muderack says this year it will build “100-plus” aircraft at its site in Fareham in southern England.
That figure would comfortably outstrip Windracers’ 2025 performance, when it built slightly more than 60 units.
Production has now also switched over entirely to the upgraded Mk2 variant following its launch in January last year.
Although Windracers only moved into the Fareham facility last year, shifting production from a site at Boscombe Down airfield, it is already contemplating further expansion.
Initially, this will see creation of a dedicated MRO and customer completions facility near Fareham.
Muderack, speaking to FlightGlobal at an event in London on 15 January, said this will allow the company to “churn out vanilla platforms” on the main production line before transferring some aircraft the secondary site for more time-consuming modifications that include installing sensors or other equipment.
But Windracers is also eyeing other production sites in case even greater demand emerges, says founder and chairman Stephen Wright.
“We have got potential orders next year that will allow us to install multiple new production lines,” he says. “We are on the way to becoming the one of the largest manufacturers of aircraft in the UK.”
Another location in the UK “is already mapped out”, says Wright, but should sales emerge from foreign militaries, then production would likely need to be localised, he adds. “We are looking at another European country at the moment, and it is very realistic we will have to start up there to manufacture and replicate the supply chain.
“But that can only be done with a big volume of aircraft and a big contract.”
On top of which, the company is considering whether to establish a dedicated production site in Ukraine.
“We are actively looking at that – it’s the way it’s got to go,” says Wright.
Windracers already has personnel deployed to Ukraine and Muderack says it “highly likely” it will open an office there over the next 12 months, growing to also offer test and evaluation and MRO capabilities in-country.
A local manufacturing site would also “make sense”, he adds, given the expected volumes required.
Ukraine has used the Ultra for multiple missions, including cargo resupply, intelligence-gathering, electronic warfare and even “kinetic missions”, using the aircraft’s drop-doors to deploy munitions.
PERFORMANCE BOOST
Windracers has enhanced the performance of the Ultra Mk2, enabling it to carry a 200kg (441lb) payload over distances up to 1,080nm (2,000km).
Tom Reed, head of functional engineering, says the upgrade has been achieved through improvements in efficiency, including optimised propellers, revised engine control unit mapping and aerodynamic tweaks.
Additionally, maximum take-off weight has been raised to 670kg through agreement with the UK Civil Aviation Authority allowing more fuel to be carried. While this differs depending on the application, a typical fuel load is around 330 litres (87USgal), says Reed.
While the Ultra Mk2 has gained traction in the defence market, Windracers still sees interest from humanitarian organisations for the aircraft – the role for which it was originally designed.
Its latest contract in this space is with the World Food Programme, which will see an undisclosed number of Ultra Mk2s used to deliver food aid in Madagascar. Operations are due to begin in late February or early March.
