A British-built unmanned aircraft capable of flying the distance from London to Kyiv is no longer an experimental concept but an operational system already supporting Ukraine’s war effort. Known as the Ultra, the aircraft represents a rare category of long-range, heavy-payload drones — and, for now, a capability few others can match. This is reported by The WP Times, citing BFBS Forces News and information published by United24.
Inside Britain’s long-range drone
The Ultra has been described by defence specialists as a cross between a drone and a light aircraft — a fixed-wing unmanned system designed not for short, disposable missions, but for endurance, resilience and logistical reach. Unlike the small quadcopters saturating the battlefield in Ukraine, the Ultra operates in a different tier of aerial warfare.
Manufactured by British company Windracers at its production facility in Fareham, southern England, dozens of Ultra aircraft have already been delivered to Ukraine, with further units scheduled to follow in the coming weeks. According to BFBS Forces News, the system is now being used for critical resupply and long-range missions well away from the immediate front line.
Windracers granted BFBS Forces News access to its new factory, where the unmanned aerial system is assembled — a rare glimpse into a segment of defence manufacturing that has largely remained out of public view.
Designed for distance, payload and repairability
The Ultra has a wingspan of approximately ten metres and was originally conceived as a cargo and logistics aircraft. In its current configuration, it can carry payloads of up to 150 kilograms over distances exceeding 1,000 kilometres.
Responding to operational demands from Ukraine, Windracers is now upgrading the platform. In the coming months, an enhanced version is expected to carry up to 200 kilograms over roughly 2,000 kilometres — a range comparable to a direct flight from London to Kyiv.
“It’s made almost entirely from aluminium and is a very simple design, which makes it cheap to build and very repairable in the field,” Andrew Lock, Windracers’ chief designer, told BFBS Forces News.
The aircraft uses two engines and features a duplicated flight-control system, a configuration intended to increase survivability in contested airspace. According to Lock, this makes the Ultra “very robust to system failures or external threats”.
Built to survive electronic warfare
Electronic jamming has become one of the defining features of the war in Ukraine, forcing drone designers to rethink navigation and control systems. The Ultra is equipped with multiple GPS antennas and can also operate using hardened, anti-jamming antennas specifically designed to withstand electronic interference.
“These countermeasures have proven quite effective to date,” Lock said, underscoring the aircraft’s performance in a heavily contested electromagnetic environment.
The hidden advantage: a modular cargo bay
While much of the Ultra’s airframe is externally visible, its most valuable feature remains unseen. For security reasons, the cargo bay was not shown during BFBS Forces News’ visit — yet it is widely regarded as the aircraft’s defining capability.
Beyond transporting supplies, the modular bay can carry surveillance equipment or conduct precise aerial drops, giving Ukrainian forces operational flexibility rarely found in fixed-wing drones currently deployed in the conflict.
“It’s designed to be really easy to load and unload,” Lock explained. “The floor of the bay is modular, so it can be swapped out in very little time to support different missions.”
A different class of drone warfare
Ukraine’s battlefield is increasingly crowded with small, fast and inexpensive quadcopters used for reconnaissance and short-range strikes. Long-range missions, however, depend on fixed-wing platforms that more closely resemble conventional aircraft.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow has relied heavily on Iranian-designed Shahed drones — relatively simple systems powered by moped engines and intended primarily for one-way attack missions. Ukraine, by contrast, has fielded a growing mix of domestic and allied long-range systems, including the turbojet-powered Palianytsia missile drone, which has struck targets deep inside Russia.
The Ultra occupies a distinct niche within this landscape: a reusable, heavy-lift aircraft focused on logistics, adaptability and sustained operations rather than single-use strikes.
Production, politics and a category of one
Windracers currently produces around ten Ultra aircraft per month and aims to double output within the next two years. Founder Stephen Wright described the pace of development as “quite phenomenal”.
“We respond to what the Ukrainians are pushing us for,” Wright told Forces News. “There are iterations nearly every week.”
He added that few manufacturers currently operate in this segment. “There are not many companies making drones of this size, carrying this level of payload, over this distance. At the moment, we are in a category of one — but that will change in time.”
In November, Windracers was invited to display an Ultra inside Speaker’s Court at the UK Parliament, highlighting the growing political and strategic relevance of British autonomous aviation. The aircraft is also reportedly used by the UK Armed Forces in a range of roles, although details remain classified.
Why the Ultra matters
The Ultra sits in a category beyond conventional tactical drones. Technically, it combines a fixed-wing airframe, twin-engine propulsion and redundant flight controls to enable sustained, repeatable operations over long distances.
Its payload capacity and modular cargo bay allow logistics, surveillance and precision delivery missions at ranges exceeding 1,000 kilometres, with a planned extension to 2,000 kilometres. Built to operate in electronically contested environments, the system reflects a shift in modern warfare, where endurance, payload and resilience are becoming as decisive as speed or stealth.
Ultra drone: key technical parameters
- Type: Fixed-wing unmanned aerial system
- Wingspan: ~10 m
- Propulsion: Twin-engine
- Payload: up to 150 kg (planned upgrade: 200 kg)
- Range: 1,000+ km (planned: 2,000 km, London–Kyiv)
- Airframe: Aluminium construction
- Flight control: Redundant / duplicated systems
- Navigation: Multi-GPS with anti-jamming capability
- Payload bay: Enclosed, modular, rapid reconfiguration
- Production: ~10 units/month
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