Wing plans to invest $125 million in a Texas drone manufacturing plant capable of producing tens of thousands of aircraft annually, as it targets nearly 20 U.S. markets next year and delivery access for more than 40 million people through its Walmart partnership. The company, which operates from over 70 sites and has completed more than 1 million residential deliveries, is also partnering with KDDI to launch service in Japan by the end of 2027, while awaiting FAA beyond-visual-line-of-sight rules that could unlock broader expansion.
According to FreightWaves, Wing will invest $125 million in a new drone manufacturing facility in Texas, part of an aggressive push to expand its delivery service across the United States. The Alphabet-owned company announced the plan on Friday, saying the plant will be able to produce tens of thousands of unmanned aerial aircraft each year.
The investment marks the first time Wing has disclosed projections for its fleet size, according to the release. Some of the funding will also support research and development in California. Wing currently operates from more than 70 sites and is working to expand to nearly 20 U.S. markets next year.
Through its partnership with Walmart, the company aims to make drone delivery available to more than 40 million people. The partners say the network will stretch across more than 270 store locations nationwide, including Los Angeles, Cincinnati, San Diego, Miami and Philadelphia.
Expanding beyond five metro areas
Wing currently operates limited service in five metropolitan areas, including Central Florida, Houston, Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth. The Texas plant is intended to support the company’s plan to expand drone delivery nationwide as consumers increasingly opt for the convenience of home delivery for last-minute needs.
Wing’s aircraft cruise at speeds up to 60 mph and can carry up to five pounds of goods. The company says it has made more than 1 million residential deliveries so far, usually within 30 minutes.
Beyond Walmart, Wing has been testing other retail use cases. In September, it began a pilot delivery program for Lowe’s, enabled by the DoorDash marketplace. Fast-casual restaurant Panera is also testing Wing delivery in North Carolina.
Walmart spreads its drone bets
Walmart is not relying on a single drone delivery provider. Last week, the retailer announced plans to create a nationwide delivery network operated by Zipline from 300 store locations. Zipline said it raised $1.5 billion to ramp up manufacturing of its aircraft.
The moves reflect the growing role of drones in quick commerce, where retailers and marketplaces are seeking another mode for satisfying consumer expectations for convenience and speed. Orders prepared at fulfillment centers are typically delivered in one to five days by courier companies, while store-to-door fulfillment takes advantage of app-based delivery platforms and crowd-sourced drivers to make deliveries in one to three hours.
Investment interest in the sector is rising. Axon Enterprise Inc., a public safety and defense technology company best known for making Taser electroshock weapons, last week announced a $1.2 billion investment in Skydio, increasing its ownership stake in the drone company to 37%. Skydio sells drones for physical security, mapping, asset inspection and national security applications.
Regulatory opening awaited
Wing said upcoming U.S. rules of the road, expected at any moment, will serve as a trigger for widespread expansion. The Federal Aviation Administration’s highly anticipated rulemaking on beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations is expected to unleash the next generation of commercial drone activity as operators scale delivery and other applications more broadly.
Under the current process, operators are required to operate drones within visual line of sight unless holding an individual waiver. The final rule, under review by the White House since July, was delayed from its February publication because administration officials wanted to make sure it could accommodate future technology developments and did not favor large companies.
As proposed, the BVLOS rule would allow drone operations at or below 400 feet above ground level from pre-designated, secure-access locations. All operators would need FAA approval for the area where they intend to fly and would have to indicate the approximate number of daily operations, as well as takeoff, landing and loading areas.
Drone operators would have to use Automated Data Service Providers to support large-scale BVLOS activity and ensure drones are safely separated from each other and manned aircraft. Large fleets like Wing’s would require an FAA operating certificate, with the agency conducting more oversight and requiring operators to develop a safety management system and training program.
On Monday, the FAA issued the first-of-its-kind authorization for a drone to fly beyond the operator’s visual line of sight from the U.S. coastline over the Gulf of Mexico. The authorization allows Skyways to operate its autonomous V2 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from Shell’s SPLC facility in Gibson, Louisiana, to a Shell platform in the Gulf to inspect a pipeline right-of-way and simulate delivery of equipment to the platform.
Japan launch with KDDI
Wing is also partnering with KDDI Corp. to bring its drone delivery service to select areas in Japan by the end of 2027. Demand for new delivery options is expected to be strong because of a declining working-age population and a declining delivery driver workforce.
Initial deployment will focus on food delivery. The companies will work with local governments and other partners to expand service to daily necessities, over-the-counter medications and small retail items, according to an Oct. 26 news release. Wing will provide autonomous drones, flight systems and automated ground infrastructure, while KDDI, a telecommunications company, will provide the communication infrastructure, regulatory compliance and market development.
Zipline cuts noise with dynamic flying
Meanwhile, Zipline has reengineered how its drones fly to reduce noise, a common complaint heard in neighborhoods, the company said last month. While most drones must continuously run all their motors to stay in the air, Zipline drones feature a fixed wing that allows them to fly like planes and turn off all but one motor once they reach cruising speed and altitude.
With dynamic flying, Zipline drones now transition to on-wing flight more efficiently while producing less noise, using wind and gravity to accelerate and decelerate, similar to birds taking advantage of air currents. Instead of static, pre-planned trajectories, the system optimizes for reduced sound by balancing wind, altitude and speed.
As a Zipline drone takes off, it uses its weather sensors to measure real-time wind conditions. It then combines that data with a custom sound model to determine the quietest way to transition to on-wing flight, such as dipping its nose to gain speed like a bike going downhill, or popping upwards to quietly slow down at the end of a flight.
Now deployed fleetwide, sound-optimized dynamic flying reduces flight times too, Zipline said. Flight times are 53 seconds shorter on average because of faster transitions in and out of on-wing flight.
Source: FreightWaves
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
