Delivery Giant to Diversify its Drone Fleet

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Drone delivery is not a one-size-fits-all operation. Delivery and logistics giant UPS has taken a critical step toward building a diverse fleet of drones with varying capabilities. It has been developing a new type of delivery drone for a variety of use cases in the United States and internationally, in collaboration with the German startup Wingcopter.

Wingcopter will be working closely with UPS’ Flight Forward subsidiary (UPSFF), the dedicated drone delivery unit. In October, Flight Forward received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to effectively operate a full-scale “drone airline” at scale for the purpose of package delivery.

Wingcopter has already designed an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that reaches a 240 km/h speed and covers distances up to 120 km, according to the company website. 

The core innovation is its unique tilt-rotor mechanism. It ensures a smooth and robust transition between hovering like a multicopter and flying forward like a plane, with low noise, which enables its use over populated areas. It manages this using a tilt-rotor design, which has the added benefit of making it more stable in difficult weather conditions, including rain and high winds.

Wingcopter has already demonstrated how its drones could operate in commercial settings, including during a demonstration with Merck earlier this year that saw its autonomous eVTOLs carry small packages between the drug company’s various office locations in Darmstadt in Germany. It also used its aircraft to deliver critical medical supplies and life-saving equipment to hard to reach areas, including through partnerships with UNICEF and other relief organizations, according to techcrunch.com.

This collaboration will begin with efforts on behalf of both companies to certify Wingcopter’s aircraft for use in making commercial delivery in the U.S. This is expected to pave the way for collaborative development of additional types of aircraft that will serve a variety of needs, including in industries ranging from healthcare to hospitality to retail and more.