The University of Alaska Fairbanks is expanding its drone industry development programme with the purchase of two large-payload drones, which will be used to test cargo deliveries and emergency responses.
The Windracers ULTRA aircraft for the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) arrived in Fairbanks at the end of September and the first test flight under full ACUASI control occurred on October 1 at the programme’s Nenana airport hangar. Both ULTRAs are now operational. The twin-engine aircraft has a wingspan of 31 feet, a range of about 600 miles, a 200-pound cargo capacity and three cargo drop doors. It can fly from dirt, grass, ice or tarmac.
The ACUASI team trained with Windracers operators in Indiana earlier this year.
ACUASI Director Cathy Cahill said the programme’s goal is to create an environment for the commercial sector in which uncrewed aircraft, including cargo aircraft, become ubiquitous in Alaska and enhance aviation safety by keeping pilots from flying during risky conditions.
ACUASI Chief Pilot Jason Williams said a long-term ACUASI goal has been to assist in making the emergency delivery of cargo by uncrewed aircraft possible throughout Alaska. “This has huge implications during emergency situations like ice dam floods if all the roads are blocked or the airports are untenable and during times of limited visibility when crewed aircraft cannot get to some of the smaller airports,” he said. “An unmanned aircraft could be launched to take those supplies and either airdrop them or land in zero visibility if the runway has been previously surveyed.”
ACUASI is supported by the state of Alaska, the University of Alaska system and a variety of grants and contracts. It works with state and federal authorities to integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace. It is one of seven Federal Aviation Administration-approved test sites across the United States.
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University of Alaska Fairbanks
Image: Brian Lu of ACUASI manoeuvrers one of the new Windracers ULTRA aircraft at Nenana Municipal Airport in early October 2025. (Photo by Jason Williams/ACUASI)
