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LONDON, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Windracers today announced it has agreed to partner with Aviation Sans Frontières to operate Windracers ULTRA™ – the low-cost self-flying cargo aircraft designed and manufactured in the UK – to deliver supplies for humanitarian organisations in Africa, starting from early 2025.
Windracers ULTRA MK2 aircraft will fly autonomously beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) to:
- Land with medical and other humanitarian supplies and collect urgent samples in places where there are few or no paved roads
- Safely drop supplies using protective packaging and parachutes to remote locations as required
"Over forty years ago, Aviation Sans Frontières created and proved the effectiveness of 'light aircraft' missions where humanitarian pilots and mechanics mobilized in the service of the poorest around the world", said Christian Georlette, Chair of Aviation Sans Frontières International. "We impact people's lives where others don't or no longer go to fulfil our mission of providing a bespoke service for humanitarian impact."
"Aviation Sans Frontières was an early adopter of drones as a cost-effective and impactful means of delivering for humanitarian actors and today drones are at the core of Aviation Sans Frontières's forward strategy. Working with Windracers, Aviation Sans Frontières ushers in the future of humanitarian and development aviation through use of Windracers ULTRA that carries sizeable payloads per trip at a lower cost while taking human pilots out of harm's way."
"Logistics is the backbone of humanitarian aid, often representing 60 to 80% of expenses depending on the sector of activity," said Stephen Wright, Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Windracers. "We developed ULTRA with this exact idea in mind, to provide low-cost means of delivering humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach locations for people who need help the most. This agreement with Aviation Sans Frontières completes the circle of "lab to life" for Windracers ULTRA and I am so very proud that the Windracers team will have the opportunity to deliver on this mission in partnership with Aviation Sans Frontières."
Windracers ULTRA is the world's most accomplished long-distance heavy-lift cargo UAV available today. With a payload of over 100kg and a range of 1,000 km, ULTRA has flown countless BVLOS missions. Windracers ULTRA has flown reconnaissance and resupply in Ukraine, geological and wildlife surveying in Antarctica, parcel delivery off the Scottish and English coasts, wildfire missions, and dropped medical supplies by parachute. Available as a service or a purchase Windracers ULTRA has flown in Antarctica, North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and will soon operate in Africa.
Further details will be released by Aviation Sans Frontières and Windracers as the first mission starts.
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