It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… those funny cat socks I ordered last week!
Yup – soon enough, you’ll start seeing people’s packages flying through the sky… and it’s all thanks to a new international initiative between UPS and a German drone company.
While we’ve seen some drone-based delivery systems being tested here and there, UPS is taking it to the next level by partnering with Germany-based Wingcopter to create a whole fleet of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) drones.
These drones require no pilot and have a stunning delivery range of up to 75 miles. The fleets will be stationed in key locations both within the US and worldwide. The drones are super-fast, too – they can reach up to 150 miles per hour, even when facing intense weather conditions!
Coming to a skyline near you…
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already given approval to UPS and Wingcopter, allowing them to begin construction of the fleet. The drones will be built by Flight Forward, UPS’ subsidiary company that focuses on drone-based deliveries.
Wingcopter already has experience in this area. They’ve previously worked with Merck to create a system of inter-office drone delivery for the pharmaceutical giant. Their experience allows them to offer UPS incredible efficiency – allowing them to deliver significantly more packages at higher speeds with fewer errors.
You can learn more about the new initiative on the Wingcopter website.