A Windracers ULTRA autonomous aircraft owned by Purdue University has completed a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight in the newly-created Indiana Drone Corridor of the Midwest UAS Test Site. The BVLOS flight covered over 50 miles within the 200+ mile corridor and took place during the opening event for the corridor at Terre Haute Indiana Airport on October 29.
Windracers ULTRA is now part of two of the nine FAA UAS Test Sites in the United States.
An aluminium airframe with a 33 ft wingspan, Windracers ULTRA is an autonomous aircraft that flies by itself using a proprietary flight control system and has the ability to drop cargo from a three bay drop bay door configuration.
In January 2026, U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration announced that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Applied Research Institute would manage an airspace corridor as one of two new test sites for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) in the United States, adding to existing test sites in Alaska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia.
The Indiana Drone Corridor encompasses southern Indiana and Purdue University which, in partnership with Windracers, is working to ensure the safety and efficiency of autonomous air systems. As part of this collaboration, Windracers ULTRA will be tested as a means to drop emergency supplies by parachute to support communities affected by seasonal flooding.
The BVLOS flight in the Indiana Drone Corridor was the second BVLOS flight carried out by Windracers ULTRA autonomous aircraft in the United States. On August 19th 2026, Windracers ULTRA completed a 670 mile flight as part of a multi-party project to assess whether anti-doping blood samples can be transported safely and reliably over extended distances while maintaining their integrity. The flight, conducted by the UAV experts at Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, was initiated through a partnership of the International Testing Agency and Sysmex America.
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