Drone Delivery

DARPA Lift Challenge winner achieves a 3.84:1 payload-to-weight ratio with a purpose-built 29-pound aircraft By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill A Canadian drone company has won a contest sponsored by a U.S. Department of Defense agency, by almost reaching a milestone that’s been compared to the first human breaking a supposed physical barrier by running… Read more: Avidrone Pushes Heavy-Lift Drone Performance Toward the 4:1 Barrier

The new dual-battery aircraft holds full control on a single battery if one fails, keeps a one-to-one flight-to-charge ratio on A2Z AirDocks, and stays under the 55-pound (25 kg) commercial ceiling. A2Z Drone Delivery unveiled the Longtail Dual on August 31, 2026 from Torrance, California. The multi-mission drone carries two batteries with true redundancy. It… Read more: A2Z Drone Delivery Launches Longtail Dual for BVLOS Urban Missions

Company says sixfold expansion will bring drone delivery to tens of millions of customers by the end of 2026 Amazon plans a major expansion of its Prime Air drone delivery service across the United States. The company says it expects to reach nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of 2026. The expansion would… Read more: Amazon Prime Air Plans Drone Delivery Expansion to Nearly 500 U.S. Cities and Towns

Strategic partnership will bring Zipline drone delivery to Uber Eats customers, starting in existing U.S. markets later this year Uber and Zipline have announced a strategic partnership aimed at bringing drone delivery to millions of Uber Eats customers across the United States. The companies plan to begin deployments later this year and target one million… Read more: Uber and Zipline Target One Million Drone Deliveries a Day by 2029

Company says proposed “military-grade” categories could reach aircraft used in public safety, agriculture, inspection and other civilian applications DJI is warning U.S. drone operators that a Federal Communications Commission proposal targeting certain foreign-made “military-grade” drones could reach much further than the terminology suggests. In a new response to the FCC’s July 21 action, DJI argues… Read more: DJI Warns FCC Proposal Could Restrict Widely Used Commercial Drones

Partnership with Zipline begins in suburban Cleveland, with plans to expand to lab samples, meals, and other medical supplies Cleveland Clinic has launched a drone delivery program for prescription medications, becoming the first U.S. health system to establish a long-term drone delivery service for patients. The program, operated in partnership with Zipline, is already making… Read more: Cleveland Clinic Launches First Long-Term U.S. Health System Drone Prescription Delivery Program

Event 38’s E455 becomes the first fixed-wing VTOL platform integrated with TB2 Aerospace’s modular DROPS system Event 38 Unmanned Systems and TB2 Aerospace have announced a partnership to integrate TB2’s Drone Recharging Operational Payload System (DROPS) with Event 38’s E455 fixed-wing VTOL unmanned aircraft. While the announcement focuses on a new product integration, it also… Read more: One Drone, Many Missions: Event 38 and TB2 Advance Modular Payload Systems

The three companies will study last-mile emergency medical logistics using SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft to bypass severe urban congestion in India. Air India, SkyDrive Inc. and Suzuki Motor Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding on eVTOL medical air logistics in India. The three companies announced the MoU on July 31, 2026. India’s major cities face… Read more: Air India, SkyDrive and Suzuki Partner for Medical Air Logistics Study

With its own aircraft, FAA air carrier certificate, and delivery platform, DoorDash is taking a vertically integrated approach that echoes Amazon’s strategy. DoorDash has earned an FAA Part 135 air carrier certificate and launched DoorDash Air, its in-house drone delivery program. The certification makes DoorDash the eighth drone operator in the United States to earn… Read more: DoorDash Is Building More Than a Drone Delivery Service

The autonomous-first, multi-modal integration is live at every Flytrex site in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Flytrex and Nash announced a partnership July 29, 2026, to route deliveries across drones and on-demand couriers. The integration is live across all Flytrex sites in Dallas-Fort Worth. The autonomous-first platform sends drone-eligible orders to Flytrex’s fleet. Nash’s courier network… Read more: Flytrex and Nash Partner to Route Drone and Courier Deliveries Across Dallas-Fort Worth

Mountain View-based Matternet expands its multi-operator model with a new FAA Part 135 partner focused on Bay Area and Los Angeles BVLOS operations. Matternet, the only holder of an FAA Type Certificate for a drone delivery aircraft, announced July 15, 2026, an operational partnership with Beeline UAS to support expansion of its commercial drone delivery… Read more: Matternet Adds Beeline UAS to Part 135 Drone Delivery Operator Network

BETA Technologies flight demonstrates how electric aircraft could support future medical transport and Advanced Air Mobility operations The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a significant milestone for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). The agency said BETA Technologies and United Therapeutics Corporation completed an interstate flight test using an electric aircraft to transport a donor organ… Read more: FAA Highlights First Interstate eVTOL Organ Transport Test Under Integration Pilot Program

Drone delivery leader recruits senior operators from Tesla, Waymo and Uber as its marketplace grows 13-fold in the first half of 2026. Zipline announced July 13, 2026, the next phase of its U.S. expansion, including upcoming launches in Cleveland and Austin, new leadership hires from Tesla, Waymo and Uber, and a 13-fold increase in the… Read more: Zipline U.S. Expansion Adds Cleveland Clinic Home Delivery and Austin Launch

Healthcare logistics program aims to speed testing, reduce costs, and support care for 1.8 million patients South West London Pathology (SWLP) is expanding its use of drone deliveries after a successful pilot that has already transported thousands of pathology samples between healthcare facilities. The program, developed with healthcare logistics company Apian and drone operator Wing,… Read more: NHS Expands Drone Pathology Network Across Southwest London

BayCare hospital system to partner with Zipline By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill Zipline, which operates the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery network, has ambitious plans to expand its UAS delivery services in the U.S., particularly in the medical-supply and food delivery market segments. In news of its most recent network expansion, BayCare, the largest… Read more: BayCare Selects Zipline to Build Drone Delivery Network Across Tampa Bay

Irish drone delivery company plans U.S. manufacturing, commercial operations, and more than 1,000 jobs as it begins American expansion Irish drone delivery company Manna has launched its first full scale metropolitan operation in the United States, selecting Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the base for its American expansion. The company says the move will support commercial drone… Read more: Manna Launches First U.S. Metro Drone Delivery Hub in Tulsa

ANRA says its Mission Manager X platform now supports more than 1,800 BVLOS commercial drone operations per day across delivery, utilities, and public sector missions. ANRA Technologies has announced that its Mission Manager X (MMX) platform now enables more than 55,000 commercial drone operations each month across the United States, equating to more than 1,800… Read more: ANRA Technologies Surpasses 55,000 Commercial Drone Operations Per Month

Food technology platform Wonder aims to launch aerial meal delivery in Dallas beginning in 2027 as drone delivery expands beyond pilot programs Wonder has selected Zipline to provide drone delivery for future Texas locations, marking another step in the expansion of commercial drone delivery into mainstream food service. The companies announced that customers at select… Read more: Another Major Restaurant Platform Turns to Drone Delivery

Texas-based company expands offshore cargo operations while preparing for the next phase of U.S. BVLOS regulations By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill While many drone service providers like to tout their latest innovations and brag on the abilities of their aircraft to handle a variety of missions, Austin-based Skyways Aviation has spent the better part… Read more: How Skyways Quietly Built a Global Heavy-Lift Drone Business

Flytrex says automated UTM coordination with Wing has deconflicted 100% of operations in Dallas–Fort Worth shared airspace, with zero conflicts. Flytrex has announced that multi-operator drone delivery in Dallas–Fort Worth has scaled to thousands of automatically deconflicted flights per month, less than a year after the company and Wing became the first U.S. commercial drone… Read more: Flytrex and Wing Report Zero Airspace Conflicts for Multi-Operator Drone Delivery