Dzyne ULTRA
Low-cost, long-endurance ISR drone repurposed from a commercial glider.
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The ULTRA (Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft) is an experimental drone developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Center for Rapid Innovation and DZYNE Technologies Incorporated. It is a low-cost, long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform meant to serve as a simpler alternative to the MQ-9 Reaper.
Since 2008, the MQ-9 Reaper has been the U.S. Air Force’s primary reconnaissance aircraft, but its $30 million price tag makes it costly to lose. During the Red Sea crisis from October 2023 to May 2025, Houthi forces shot down at least 15 Reapers. Much of the Reaper’s expense comes from its strike capability, yet only a “single-digit percentage” of its surveillance missions actually required that function. The Air Force therefore sought a cheaper, simpler aircraft for pure reconnaissance.
Design and development
Development began in 2019, going from concept to first flight in under ten months. DZYNE had previously worked on the Long Endurance Aircraft Program, which produced an autonomous aircraft in 2016 capable of 40-hour flights. That experience informed ULTRA. The Air Force began buying ULTRA in its 2025 budget request, procuring four drones for $35 million.
ULTRA is designed as an ISR truck, able to carry various electro-optical/infrared and radio frequency sensors, along with other low-cost intelligence payloads, on a reconfigurable platform. It achieves greater endurance and lower cost by repurposing the manned Stemme S12 commercial sport glider, converting it into a military drone using commercial off-the-shelf UAV technology, existing manufacturing and supply channels, and limited custom avionics. Lower-cost sensors are possible because the aircraft operates at lower altitudes, which do not require large optics or high-power RF systems. ULTRA can fly for over 80 hours while carrying more than 400 pounds of payload, with a wingspan exceeding 80 feet.
Its endurance allows fewer aircraft to cover large areas. It can loiter for a day over a target after traveling more than 2,000 miles. The drone uses a “Point and Click” command-and-control system, and satellite links enable global operations while providing real-time high-rate ISR data feeds to operators.
In May 2024, it was reported that ULTRA was operating from Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dzyne ULTRA?
The ULTRA (Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft) is an experimental ISR drone jointly developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Center for Rapid Innovation and DZYNE Technologies. It was designed as a budget-friendly, long-endurance reconnaissance platform that fills a role similar to the MQ-9 Reaper at a fraction of the cost.
How does the Dzyne ULTRA compare to the MQ-9 Reaper?
While the Reaper has served as the Air Force's primary reconnaissance asset since 2008 at roughly $30 million per unit, the ULTRA was built as a far cheaper and simpler alternative. Four ULTRA drones cost about $35 million in total, making them dramatically less expensive to lose in a contested environment.
What are the Dzyne ULTRA's key specifications?
The drone boasts over 80 hours of endurance, a wingspan exceeding 80 feet, a range beyond 2,000 miles, and a payload capacity of more than 400 pounds. These figures make it a genuinely long-endurance platform despite its low acquisition cost.
Why was the Dzyne ULTRA developed?
The Red Sea crisis between October 2023 and May 2025 saw Houthi forces down at least 15 MQ-9 Reapers, exposing how painful it was to lose a $30 million aircraft in a high-threat environment. The ULTRA was conceived as a low-cost reconnaissance option that operators could afford to risk more freely.
How was the Dzyne ULTRA built so quickly and cheaply?
The platform was repurposed from a commercial glider airframe, and the team went from initial concept to first flight in under ten months. This rapid development cycle was a hallmark of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Center for Rapid Innovation approach.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Dzyne ULTRA (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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