Drones

Ameriflight says it is greenlighted to add the Matternet M2 to its fleet, allowing the first large-scale drone operation in the country.

Last week, Dronamics completed the successful first flight of its flagship Black Swan aircraft, flown remotely by two commercial airline pilots, near Bulgaria’s Balchik Airport.

Major aviation players are seeking FAA approval for remote pilots to fly aircraft where they can’t see them.

Amazon’s drone delivery dream isn’t dead, but it may be time for the firm to reassess its strategy.

DroneUp, the company powering drone delivery for the largest retailer in the world, has trimmed its head count.

California-based Zipline just raised $330 million at a $4.2 billion valuation — greater than any U.S. drone company or any drone delivery company globally.

ASL Aviation has several airlines that support express delivery companies and e-commerce retailers. It plans to serve them with drone delivery too.

The Mountain View, California-based drone delivery firm announced an array of new software and hardware updates.

Outlining the next phase of its development, Wing revealed its new approach to fully autonomous urban drone delivery networks.

Ameriflight is tentatively betting on two futuristic cargo aircraft from startup manufacturers to augment its feeder service for integrated express carriers.

Having obtained a milestone Standard Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, Flytrex is ready for takeoff.

As part of Amazon’s some 18,000 job cuts, a “significant number” of employees at several drone delivery facilities reportedly were laid off.

Cargo drone manufacturer and delivery provider Elroy Air hit a new high after signing a deal with Dublin-based LCI.

See how Walmart — quickly becoming one of the biggest names in drone delivery — and its network fared in 2022.

In yet another drone-related patent filing, Ford is looking at flying within aerial corridors above roads.

The e-commerce giant’s long-awaited drone delivery service finally got off the ground on Christmas Eve.

Walmart and DroneUp continued to expand their drone delivery footprint this week with launches in three new states.

The Government of Rwanda will enlist Zipline to be able to make autonomous deliveries to the nation’s entire population.

Matternet drones will begin flying a 7-minute route in Zurich, Switzerland, in one of the world’s largest beyond visual line of sight pilot programs.

Robotic delivery firm Kiwibot has launched service at Loyola Marymount University, leveraging Nvidia technology and satellites to create campuswide delivery.

Drone delivery provider Matternet is ready for takeoff after receiving a milestone Production Certificate from the FAA this week.

Supply chain and logistics companies got time in the limelight on Time magazine’s list of the 200 Best Inventions of 2022.

After launching commercial services in California and Texas, Amazon Prime Air came out with a new delivery drone design.

Alphabet’s Wing this week teamed with DoorDash on a limited drone delivery service in Logan, Australia, where it has operated since 2019.

Delivery drones are showing their last-mile value on a mission to hard-to-reach customers on Sanibel Island, Florida.

DroneDek and A2Z Drone Delivery are integrating DroneDek’s “mailbox of the future” with A2Z’s Rapid Delivery System drone solution.

Joby will work with Delta to build a service that uses autonomous drones to take passengers to and from the airport.

Medical drone delivery specialist Zipline began flying commercially in Utah this week after months of testing.

On a reservation in rural southeastern Oklahoma, the Choctaw Nation is building the future of drone delivery.

Conventional wisdom says that drones are best for small-payload deliveries, but Sabrewing would beg to differ.

Together, Valqari and IDU Group are building urban drone infrastructure all the way from the sidewalk to the roofs of skyscrapers.

While drones have received plenty of hoopla, there are many questions that need to be answered. Efficient ground transport, though, is a viable and sustainable model for package delivery.

Wing has made more than 250,000 global drone deliveries, but the company remains in the early stages of its evolution.

Drone systems operator American Robotics gets milestone approval and waiver from the FAA.

When it comes to drone delivery, some states are better prepared than others. Here are all of them ranked.

A new research paper found that no delivery method can match the energy efficiency of drones or small robots, but package delivery efficiency may be best left to vans.

During Workhorse’s recent earnings call, CEO Richard Dauch discussed the company’s goals for its last-mile drone delivery program.

Manna, an Ireland-based drone delivery company, will soon expand into the U.S. and mainland Europe.

Los Angeles-based A2Z Drone Delivery has introduced a flexible new delivery system that can handle up to 22 pounds of payload.

Ford is experimenting with a system that would allow drones to be controlled autonomously from delivery vans.

The high-tech mailbox from DroneDek handles both traditional mail and drone deliveries.

Flytrex can now reach 100,000 eligible customers after the FAA signed off on doubling its delivery radius.

Self-flying drones from Vimaan will be the eye in the sky for a PFS warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee.

College Station will join Lockeford, California, as one of Amazon’s earliest U.S. drone delivery test markets.

Drone delivery provider Zipline adds yet another health care company to its list of delivery partners.

Wing, the drone delivery arm of Alphabet, is laying out flight plans with an array of advanced aircraft prototypes.

Bay Area-based Elroy Air just signed another agreement to deliver an order of its Chaparral aircraft.

The world’s largest retailer filed a patent that would combine two of last-mile delivery’s latest innovations: drones and robots.

Drone delivery firm Zipline launched a commercial service in North Carolina less than a week after obtaining a historic FAA certification.

Zipline received an FAA Part 135 air carrier certification that gives it the largest commercial drone delivery radius in the U.S.

Germany’s Wingcopter, known for using drones to deliver medical supplies, is headed for a new frontier — grocery.

After enduring years of setbacks, Amazon’s drone delivery program is finally ready for takeoff.

Alphabet-backed Wing is hoping to expand its drone delivery service in Virginia through the introduction of a public delivery zone.

The contract logistics provider said it wants to create the world’s largest air- and ground-based security robotics fleet.

Flytrex, which operates drone delivery services in North Carolina and Texas, will deliver ice cream from Unilever’s The Ice Cream Shop.

Walmart announced it will add drone delivery to 32 locations in six states this year with partner DroneUp.

Wingcopter is partnering with Continental Drones Ltd. on what would be the world’s largest commercial deployment of delivery drones.

French automaker Renault is developing a hybrid last-mile delivery model that would deploy drones and e-bikes from delivery vans.

Drone pilot programs continue to pop up, but Amazon is generally not among those receiving attention as its program has reportedly stalled. What can be learned from the slow rollout of Prime Air?

Israel-based drone delivery company Flytrex will deliver subs from Jersey Mike’s to customers in a North Carolina town.

Drones delivered hot dogs and chips to hungry baseball fans as part of a pilot by Levy, Valqari, USOG and Purdue Athletics.

Long considered a technology of the future, drones are steadily carving out a niche in the final mile.

Wing, the drone delivery subsidiary of Alphabet, launched a commercial drone delivery service that may have implications for the last mile more generally.

Alphabet subsidiary Wing will deliver products from Walgreens and other retailers to customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

FedEx Express will test a Chaparral autonomous drone for middle-mile transport of air cargo.

Flytrex is now delivering chicken wings via drone in Texas as it expands its test programs with Brinker International’s It’s Just Wings brand.

Medical Response Drones from Draganfly will be used to deliver lifesaving medical supplies like blood and wound care kits.

Swoop Aero, Skyports and BD Rowa are joining forces to integrate drones into pharmaceutical and health care supply chains.

A report from an FAA committee on line-of-sight rules may push drone delivery to new heights.

Natilus is developing robot cargo jets in four sizes and has orders from five customers.

Elroy Air wants to enable same-day delivery to every person on the planet. It’s now one step closer with the reveal of its flagship model.

Germany’s Wingcopter struck a deal with aerial medical services company Spright to deliver medical supplies to underserved areas of the U.S. via drone.

DroneUp CEO Tom Walker sat down with Modern Shipper to discuss his company’s expanding delivery business, including its partnership with Walmart.

Australian officials’ resolution of recent raven-on-drone attacks isn’t much to crow about.

A new report predicts that the adoption of drones and self-driving delivery vehicles will accelerate in the years ahead, creating a $4.9 billion market by 2030.

Straight from the mouths of executives at Flytrex, DroneDek, Zipline and Draganfly, here are predictions on where drone delivery will be in five years.

Drone delivery reached new heights in 2021, and as a result, there was no shortage of interest in the technology.

The drone delivery company gets a big boost in North Carolina, where it now covers about 10,000 households with its delivery service.

The FAA has greenlighted the Drone Racing League to take the lead on drone safety as the first-ever UAS event organizer and the newest member of the agency’s Partnership for Safety Plan.

In some drone delivery consolidation, DroneUp acquired digital airspace and automation company AirMap and its airspace traffic management technology.

DroneDek CEO Dan O’Toole spoke to Modern Shipper about his pleas to the FAA and how drones can solve the supply chain backlog.

Venture capital fund EQT Ventures is a backer of electric and autonomous vehicle maker Einride, but it is also a supporter of sustainable business models.

Drone developer Wingcopter has received an investment from Japan’s Drone Fund as it nears announcement of a series B funding round.

DroneDek, maker of the smart mailbox, signed a deal with Indian manufacturing conglomerate BEL to start distributing smart receptacles around the globe.

The Drone Racing League and Draganfly are launching DRL Labs, a testing ground for automation, sensor technology, AI and other drone tech.

Zipline is known for its work providing humanitarian assistance to remote communities, and it’s now coming to Pea Ridge, Arkansas.

Drones have suddenly been thrust into a crucial position in the humanitarian supply chain, and Elroy Air is the latest company to use drones to deliver aid.

The backyard drone delivery company just completed its third expansion in the state and is nearing airplane certification from the FAA.

Regional operator Mesa Air Group will begin testing last-mile drone delivery in a partnership with manufacturer Flirtey.

Wing, the drone delivery subsidiary of Alphabet, just announced a partnership with Walgreens to deliver in densely populated areas.

The Singapore-based advanced aerial mobility company wants to fly humans around in autonomous, hydrogen-powered passenger drones.

In this final Drone Disruptors, Modern Shipper spoke with Chairman and CEO Dan O’Toole of DroneDek, the maker of the mailbox of the future.

FedEx Express has completed the first drone delivery as part of a monthlong test in Ireland, moving a package from Shannon Airport to Foynes Port in under 13 minutes and cutting nearly 40 minutes from a vehicle delivery route.

In this week’s Drone Disruptors, Modern Shipper talked to Elroy Air CEO and co-founder David Merrill.

Modern Shipper spoke to Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos about his vision to bring drone delivery to cities around the world.

Engineers and designers of the Wing delivery drone share insights into the aircraft’s development and the overall mission for the company in a new video.

In the second installment of Drone Disruptors, Modern Shipper sat down with Volansi CEO Will Roper.

Locus Robotics announced an additional $50 million investment in the company from Tiger Global Management just eight months after a $150 million Series E round.

Delivery drones could be damaged or even grounded by weather, including unseen winds aloft, leaving customers angry at missed deliveries and shippers scrambling.

For this first installment of Drone Disruptors, a series about the movers and shakers in the world of drone startups, Modern Shipper sat down with Flytrex CEO Yariv Bash.