PREVIEW

British scientists are to explore some of the darkest, coldest areas of the Antarctic using an autonomous drone.
A team has arrived at the Rothera Research Station in Antarctica, prepared to initiate trials on the groundbreaking Windracers ULTRA aircraft.
If successful, this cutting-edge drone platform could substantially elevate the scientific capabilities of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in the icy continent, enabling more cost-effective and environmentally friendly research compared to traditional crewed aviation.
The Windracers ULTRA UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicle) is meticulously designed for extreme environments, featuring a fully autonomous, twin-engine, 10-metre fixed-winged aircraft with a capacity to carry 100 kg of cargo or sensors over distances of up to 1000 km. Its advanced autopilot system, Masterless, developed and patented by Distributed Avionics, ensures safe take-off, flight, and landing with minimal ground operator oversight. With a keen focus on sustainability, the ULTRA UAV aims to contribute to BAS' commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Its first experiment will survey the mountains under an ice sheet to predict how quickly ice melt will result in a global sea-level rise.
If successfully implemented, the drones could emerge as the primary tool for airborne scientific surveys, replacing the current use of Twin Otter aircraft. In comparison to the Twin Otters, the ULTRA UAV promises significant increases in flight time and geographical coverage, potentially reducing CO2 emissions per flight hour by around 90%. The lower cost and heightened safety of deploying UAV drones over extended periods also open up possibilities for collecting new and higher-fidelity scientific data. Additionally, the use of AI-driven SWARM technology could enable the deployment of multiple autonomous drones as a unified system.
The move to Antarctica follows successful trials in the wilds of wet and windy Wales - as it flew in tough weather conditions around the principality’s highest peaks.
Dr. Tom Jordan, a geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey, expressed enthusiasm about the project's potential impact on Antarctic science, stating, “Demonstrating that UAVs can robustly and routinely collect an array of different data is really exciting for the future of Antarctic science.
Polar science urgently needs extensive new high-resolution datasets to understand the ways the Antarctic ice sheet is changing, and how this will impact communities around the world. This is our first step toward unlocking those logistical barriers.”

Windracers Autopilot Technology Lead Tom Reed adds: “Having spent the last eight weeks completing rigorous tests and training, we’re enormously excited to have made it to Antarctica. We very much hope to demonstrate that high endurance, high payload autonomous drones have a valuable role to play in the future of environmental research.
“As a software engineer, I would not have predicted that my career would lead me to Rothera Research Station in Antarctica. It’s a genuine privilege and I feel humbled to have the opportunity to spend the next few weeks here working alongside an incredible team on some truly meaningful science projects.”
During the testing phase this season, the Windracers ULTRA will be deployed for various scientific purposes, including surveying environmentally sensitive areas, assessing the marine food chain with cameras, investigating tectonic structures using magnetic and gravity sensors, assessing glaciological structures with airborne radar, and testing an atmospheric turbulence probe for studies of boundary layer processes coupling ocean and atmosphere.
This groundbreaking project is funded by Innovate UK’s Future Flight 3 Challenge and is part of its pilot programme, 'Protecting environments with uncrewed aerial vehicle swarms,' aiming to showcase the potential of advanced drone technology in gathering environmental data in Antarctica.