Jul 24, 2024 - Technology

Exclusive: ULTRA drone flies for days in military test

Colin Demarest

A large military drone sits on the tarmac near a white truck. The sky is black. The wingtip is brightly illuminated. — Crew chiefs prepare an ULTRA aircraft for taxiing. Photo: Kregg York/DVIDS

A secretive drone designed to reap intelligence from faraway targets flew for at least three days straight in recent testing, a feat its maker shared first with Axios.

Why it matters: The marathon flight — possibly twice as long as other drones' — could shake up how the U.S. military approaches overhead surveillance, for which there is an insatiable appetite.

Zoom in: The Dzyne-made Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft was put to the test at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.

The glider-like ULTRA has a wingspan longer than 80 feet and can carry payloads weighing hundreds of pounds.
Launched from the greater Middle East, the drone can reach and linger over portions of Africa, Asia and Europe.
The Air Force's fiscal 2025 budget blueprint allocated roughly $35 million for four of them.

The intrigue: ULTRA was photographed this year at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, home to MQ-9 Reapers.

What they're saying: Off-the-shelf components help cut the cost of ULTRA, according to Chris Miller, Dzyne's chief strategy officer and former acting secretary of defense.

Be smart: Bill Barr, the former U.S. attorney general, is a paid adviser to Dzyne.

Barr previously told Axios that he saw the world enter "the age of drones" while he was the nation's top law enforcement official.

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Exclusive: ULTRA drone flies for days in military test

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