Thanks to funding provided by Cornwall Development Company, Windracers Ltd ran a trial of their twin engine, fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), named ULTRA from 13th to 15th November at St Merryn Airfield in North Cornwall. Windracers is a non-profit organisation that provides transport services to the humanitarian aid, research and environmental protection communities using UAV’s.
The AeroSpace R&D programme at Cornwall Development Company, funded by the ERDF, supported Windracers’ £168,000 upgrade of the ULTRA UAV and flight trials at St Merryn Airfield with a £78,000 grant. During the project, Windracers engaged with Isles of Scilly Council, 700X Naval Squadron from RNAS Culdrose, the CAA and the Cornwall Airport Newquay air traffic control team.
Following a CAA exemption to fly at St Merryn airfield, Windracers ran numerous demonstration flights, to confirm the operational and autonomous performance upgrades of their ULTRA aircraft.
The testing trials in Cornwall enabled Windracers to be ready to undertake an important mission for the NHS in the Covid19 crisis. On 12th May, the ULTRA UAV flew autonomously from Lee-on-Solent and landed safely on the Isle of Wight in just 18 minutes, delivering urgent medical supplies for St Mary’s hospital. Able to carry payloads of up to 100 kilograms for up to 1000km means the Windracers’ ULTRA aircraft is likely to be used for further missions such as this.
Operated and monitored from a secure and mobile ground station, Windracers objective is to operate in Africa from dirt landing strips to deliver food and other urgent aid to communities that struggle to get supplies by road.
“Windracers is very excited to continue partnering with Cornwall on our R&D project, which will open up major opportunities for us in the region.”
Charles Scales, CEO, Windracers
The partnership between Windracers and Cornwall Development Company has been a big step forward for Cornwall’s UAV programme and lays a foundation for other businesses to follow. The support on offer to Windracers and is still ongoing, with both sides looking forward to running trials to the Isles of Scilly.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly supports disruptive technology and is building its research, development and innovation capability to accelerate projects which have the potential to solve global challenges. If you’re looking for support for an R&D project, or business expansion, get in touch with the R&D AeroSpace Cornwall Programme at Cornwall Development Company.
Find out how Cornwall Trade and Investment can help your business.
Whether you’re a freelancer looking for a shared workspace to meet new people and host clients, a start up exploring your first office space, or an employee working remotely and in need of some flexible hot-desking, there’s no shortage of coworking spaces in Cornwall. Here we’ve highlighted some popular flexible and coworking spaces in the […]
This week, Norwegian Offshore Wind – the largest representative offshore wind body in Norway, will travel to Cornwall to gain a better understanding of the region’s Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) opportunities. Cornwall Trade and Investment, in partnership with Celtic Sea Power, will host the Norwegian contingent, who will meet with a number of organisations in […]
Agri-tech is a cornerstone of efficient, sustainable food production – and a new conference in South West England promises to lead the way by showcasing the latest opportunities and development. The region is an agri-tech powerhouse, with 14 universities offering a range of research specialisms and collaborating with industry to develop spin-off companies. “Following the […]
Whether you’re looking to locate in Cornwall, or to start exporting beyond its borders, get in touch with our friendly team to talk through your needs.
