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This British Drone Can Fly London to Kyiv—And Ukraine Is Already Using It
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A British-made unmanned aircraft, unlike anything else currently flying over Ukraine, is playing a growing role in long-range missions far from the front line, according to BFBS Forces News, which reported on the system on December 12.
Known as the Ultra, the aircraft has been described as a hybrid between a drone and a light aircraft that can be monitored and controlled from anywhere in the world.
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Dozens of the aircraft have already been delivered to Ukraine, with additional units scheduled to follow in the coming weeks. Built at a production facility in Fareham, southern England, the Ultra is now being used by Ukrainian forces primarily for critical logistics and resupply operations.
Windracers, the British company behind the system, granted BFBS Forces News access to its new factory, where the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is assembled.
🇬🇧🇺🇦 As part of the drone coalition, Britain transferred ULTRA cargo UAVs to Ukraine, - Janes.
— The Ukrainian Review (@UkrReview) May 29, 2024
🦅 ULTRA is capable of carrying a payload of 100 kg over a distance of up to 1000 km, as well as conducting reconnaissance. pic.twitter.com/rBL6k1nkgl
Ultra: the British-built drone quietly powering Ukraine’s long-range missions
The Ultra features a 10-meter wingspan and was originally designed as a cargo and logistics platform. In its current configuration, it can carry up to 150 kilograms over distances exceeding 1,000 kilometres.
Responding to evolving battlefield demands, Windracers is now working on an upgraded version capable of carrying 200 kilograms over 2,000 kilometers—roughly the distance from London to Kyiv.
“It’s made almost entirely from aluminium and is a very simple design, making it cheap to build and very repairable in the field,” Windracers’ chief designer, Andrew Lock, told BFBS Forces News.
Last month at The @emergencyukshow we were greeted by a band playing and marching right past us 🎺
— Windracers (@Windracers) October 7, 2025
This was the cherry on top after speaking to all of you about how Windracers ULTRA, our dual-use heavy-life drone, could support emergency response and logistics across the UK. pic.twitter.com/Z4Z3zlfV0H
The aircraft uses two engines, and its flight control system is duplicated to enhance survivability.
“[It is] very robust to system failures or external threats,” Lock said.
The Ultra also features multiple GPS antennas. Given the heavy use of electronic warfare in Ukraine, the system can operate with hardened antennas designed to resist jamming.
Lock added that these countermeasures have “proven quite effective to date.”
Forces News wrote that while much of the aircraft is visible, its cargo bay—which could not be shown for security reasons—is considered its most valuable feature. Beyond delivering supplies, the bay can house surveillance equipment or enable precise aerial drops, giving Ukrainian forces flexibility that few fixed-wing drones currently offer.
“It’s designed to be really easy to load and unload, and the floor of the bay is also modular, so it can be swapped out in very little time to undertake different missions,” Lock said.
Windracers currently produces around 10 Ultra aircraft per month and aims to double output within two years.
A different class of drone
While the battlefield in Ukraine is saturated with small quadcopters used for short-range strikes and reconnaissance, longer-range missions depend on fixed-wing platforms that more closely resemble conventional aircraft, according to Forces News.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow has relied heavily on Iranian-designed Shahed drones, while Ukraine has fielded its own long-range systems—including the turbojet-powered Palianytsia rocket drone, which has struck targets deep inside Russia.
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Windracers founder Stephen Wright said the pace of innovation driven by Ukraine’s needs has been extraordinary.
“We respond to what the Ukrainians are pushing us for,” Wright said. “There are iterations nearly every week.”
He noted that few manufacturers operate in this niche.
“There are not actually many manufacturers… making drones of this size, carrying this level of payload, over this distance. So at the moment, we are in a category of one, but… that will change in time.”
Wright emphasized that the Ultra offers a capability far removed from what most people associate with drones.
In November, Windracers was invited to display the Ultra inside Speaker’s Court at the UK Parliament, highlighting the role British autonomous aviation is playing in Ukraine’s defense.
The aircraft is also reportedly used by the UK Armed Forces in a range of roles, BFBS Forces News said, though details remain classified.
Earlier, reports emerged that the Ukrainian company Ukrspecsystems was set to collaborate with British educational institutions to train future professionals for its drone manufacturing plant in Mildenhall, the company’s UK director.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
