Windracers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | Stephen Wright |
| Headquarters | Fareham, England |
Key people | Simon Thompson (Group CEO), Simon Muderack (CEO) |
| Products | See Aircraft |
| Website | https://www.windracers.com |
Windracers is a UK-based manufacturer of autonomous cargo drones.[1] Founded in 2017, its self-flying aircraft were originally conceived to bring down the cost of delivering humanitarian aid to remote communities.[2] The long-distance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can fly up to 1,000 km before refuelling and can be used for multiple purposes including mail delivery, defence, humanitarian aid, firefighting and academic research.[2]
The ULTRA is a fixed-wing aircraft with a 10 m (32 ft) wingspan. It has a twin-boom configuration with a high T-tail to allow easy access to its 700-litre cargo compartment. Power comes from a pair of 627-cc four-stroke engines from Briggs & Stratton. It has been built to withstand operations in harsh environments with rugged construction. It is built from aluminium rather than composite, as it is more damage-tolerant, efficient to fabricate and low-cost.[3] Its components are designed for field repair with minimal parts.[4]
The autonomous drones can carry a load weighing 100kg up to 1,000km. They take off and land like an aeroplane[5] and they have a drop mechanism for the delivery of humanitarian aid.[2]
The ULTRA operates without a remote pilot using the company’s Masterless avionics system. This includes an automated take off and landing capability. Its systems are dual or triple redundant to ensure it can fly safely in the event of a hardware or software failure.[3]