DZYNE Secures Multi-Million Dollar AFRL Contract for Additional ULTRA Turbo Aircraft, Redefining Group-5 ISR

Advancing Next-Generation Capabilities Across Defense, Homeland, and Commercial Missions

IRVINE, Calif., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DZYNE Technologies today announced a multi-million-dollar contract award from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) for three ULTRA Turbo (Uncrewed Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft) aircraft. This award is a crucial milestone for the platform's transition to a program of record and affirming its role providing next-generation, multi-mission Group-5 capability.

The award follows ULTRA's successful first flight with a turbocharged engine, which validated rapid design and integration techniques to showcase speed and power above 18,000 feet. Coupled with 70+ hours of endurance and its upgraded SATCOM to enhance communications flexibility, ULTRA Turbo can outlast even the most demanding mission requirements while delivering unmatched persistence and mission flexibility.

"ULTRA delivers more than altitude – it delivers dominance," said Ed Smetak, EVP of Airborne Technologies at DZYNE. "With AFRL's confidence and our production capacity, ULTRA is proving that disruptive endurance and mission versatility can be delivered affordably and at scale – redefining how Group-5 systems support both government and commercial customers."

"The ULTRA platform represents exactly the type of rapid, cost-effective innovation AFRL's Center for Rapid Innovation seeks to advance," added Mr. Paul Litke, AFRL/RSC Director. "Its endurance, payload flexibility, and new turbocharged performance profile provide the Air Force with a unique capability to explore next-generation ISR operations at a fraction of the cost of legacy systems."

ULTRA. More Mission. Less Cost.

ULTRA is a Group-5 UAS designed to deliver strategic reach at tactical cost. With endurance measured in days, operations at high altitude, and the capacity to carry diverse payloads, ULTRA provides operators with an adaptable platform for a broad spectrum of missions across defense, homeland, civil, and commercial sectors.

Performance

• 3 days of endurance
  
  
• Operations above 18,000 feet
  
  
• 450+ lbs payload capacity
  
  
• Turbocharged engine for high-altitude resilience

Mission Flexibility

• Defense: ISR, communications relay, electronic warfare, launched effects, maritime and border patrol
  
  
• Homeland & Civil: Public safety situational awareness, wildfire monitoring, disaster response, search and rescue, infrastructure and environmental monitoring
  
  
• Commercial: Oil and gas inspection, maritime surveillance, agriculture, telecommunications support

Key Advantages

• Strategic reach at tactical cost
  
  
• Persistent performance with a smaller footprint and significantly lower cost than legacy ISR platforms

Scaled to Meet Demand

In 2024, DZYNE opened a new 125,000-square-foot facility in Irvine, California that united UAS engineering, research, and manufacturing under one roof. This state-of-the-art site accelerates production across DZYNE's product lines, including ULTRA and LEAP, while expanding the company's capacity to meet urgent customer demand.

Case number: AFRL-2025-4850

The material was assigned a clearance of CLEARED AS AMENDED on 25 Sep 2025.

For more information on the ULTRA family of Long Endurance UAS or to schedule a demo, please contact us at [email protected]

About DZYNE Technologies

DZYNE Technologies designs, develops, and manufactures cost-disruptive defense systems at scale to defend, protect, and save lives. Specializing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), and layered defense solutions, DZYNE delivers innovative, mission-focused technologies to military, national security, and civil customers worldwide – with speed, agility, and scalable production capability.

For more information, visit www.dzyne.com.

SOURCE DZYNE Technologies