Ultra, the US Air Force’s new low-cost drone that can fly continuously for more than 3 days

UltraAbbreviation in English for Как Unmanned Long Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance AircraftThe name of the new one is drone manufactured by DZYNE For United States Air Force And whose first photos, which show that it is already operational in the Middle East, were recently published by the US, in them you can see this drone Exceptional autonomy and is presented as an affordable alternative to expensive drones MQ-9 Reaper In a series of images at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, used by the Air Force and Marine Corps for surveillance.

Prior to being published, DZYNE remained quiet about the show’s progress because it was Working directly with fighter aircraft on ‘active missions’has pointed out Matt McCueDZYNE CEO told DefenseOne. According to budget documents, the United States Air Force is involved 4 Drones Ultra Its cost in the 2025 budget, total $35 millionWhich makes the cost of an MQ-9 Reaper a little over $30 million per unit.

McCue also said that with ULTRA’s long-range capability, the US military could do this For example, fly the drone from Sigonella, Italy, and still carry out missions over Africa. This will allow the US military to fly over multiple COCOMs from a single location This is not something that has been available to commanders before‘. The acronym COCOM corresponds to the unified military command of the United States Department of Defense responsible for military operations in geographic areas on a global scale.

Drones were conceptualised by whom? Rapid Innovation CenterFor its acronym in English, CRI, Air Force Research LaboratoryDeveloped in conjunction with AFRL, and DZYNE Technologies.

One of the specialties of ULTRA is It is constructed by reusing a previously manned commercial sport glider and converting it into a military-strength unmanned aerial vehicle.According to AFRL, which defines it as an ultra-long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, ISR, platform.

Can fly for more than 80 hours without recharging and carries a payload of up to 181 kg. It has electro-optical/infrared intelligence collection sensors, EO/IRradio frequency, RFand other low-cost ones that offer A reconfigurable platform for diverse missions,

The secret behind low-cost drones Use of commercial UAS technology, existing manufacturing and supply channels, and custom avionics To ensure that costs remain low. The drone is also capable of operating at low altitudereducing the need for large, expensive optics or high-power radio frequencies to be effective.

‘The Ultra system is truly unique in its ability to overcome the tyranny of distance which precludes the operational use of current unmanned platforms at the extreme ranges required in areas of operations such as the Pacific‘, says AFRL. It could also be Operated worldwide Via satellite-based command and control links, and can send data to the command centre in real time.