Windrace ULTRA, a dual-use heavy lift drone, is set to be deployed in Greenland to record new climate data in one of the most remote and extreme environments on Earth.
The deployment, planned for June 2026, forms part of the GIANT program (Greenland Ice sheet to AtlaNtic Tipping points from ice loss), an international research mission to understand how melting glaciers are pushing the Atlantic Ocean toward a crucial climate tipping point.
GIANT, led by a team of international scientists, will use a range of technologies alongside Windracers ULTRA to better understand how ice interacts with ocean waters, including marine robots, satellites and sensors.
The Windracers ULTRA, which is capable of carrying payloads of over 150kg and flying up to 2,000km, will be deployed to northwest Greenland to map the base of the floating ice shelf and the valleys hidden beneath the ice further inland using a new ice-penetrating radar system.
The northwest is defined by a high-Arctic climate, significantly colder and more isolated than the more temperate and accessible regions of the south and southwest, with a rugged and much harsher landscape.
Speaking about the GIANT program, Dr Kelly Hogan, marine geophysicist, British Antarctic Survey and lead creator on GIANT, said, “We’re in a moment where our tools have finally caught up with our questions. With autonomous vehicles, advanced sensors and powerful modeling – boosted by AI – we can explore glacier-ocean interactions in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.”
Drone fieldwork will be led by British Antarctic Survey, using the Windracers ULTRA to conduct long range autonomous missions over the Petermann Glacier. In addition, it will be used to investigate the local Narwhal population in the nearby ocean.
Rob Datson, chief flight operations officer at Windracers, said, “Operating in Greenland is about more than distance, it is about reliability and resilience in an environment where there is little margin for error.
“Windracers ULTRA is designed to fly long-range missions autonomously and carry the sensors scientists need with confidence to create new data and see the unseen. Windracers is excited to be working with the British Antarctic Survey once again and to support this important research.”
The work sits within ARIA’s Forecasting Tipping Points program, which aims to improve understanding of how the Greenland Ice Sheet interacts with the ocean and atmosphere, and how accelerating ice loss could affect global climate dynamics.
This program marks the second expedition Windracers will complete with the British Antarctic Survey, following operations in Antarctica unlocking new climate research in 2024.
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