Windracers Gives Flight to New Aid Distribution With the Help of Vanguard^® Engines

MILWAUKEE (March 29, 2021) – It isn’t a bird, a plane or superman...but it is a sort of combination of the three. 

Meet Windracers, a company that specializes in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology that is revolutionizing the way aid relief is delivered. 

“We realized we could use emerging UAV technologies to help solve several key world issues, starting with medical and food aid distribution,” said Charles Scales, CEO and co-founder of Windracers. 

Until now, the most cost effective and reliable way to deliver aid relief was by truck. Windracers has been working to change that with the creation of their ULTRA UAV, a drone that is made to carry 100 kilos up to 1,000 kilometers. The design is inexpensive, robust and reliable. To power this mighty machine, they are using Vanguard engines. Specifically, the drones are outfitted with two Vanguard V-Twin 23.0 Gross HP* Electronic Fuel Injected engines.

“The engines are highly advanced,” says Charles. “They’re tough, they do the job, and they fit within our aviation weight constraints”.

To optimize their drones capabilities, Windracers and Vanguard have been working together to modify the engines to give the ULTRA UAV more power, remove access weight and meet constraints by discarding some of the non-critical components in the engine. 

In 2020, Windracers put their UAVs to good use, providing aid in the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to use their drones in the United Kingdom to fly medical supplies between the mainland and remote island locations.

Read more on how Vanguard worked with Windracers to apply its innovative engines in this exclusive piece on Inside Unmanned Systems.
 

^{*All power levels are stated as gross horsepower at 3,600 rpm per SAE J1940.}