A newly surfaced video shows what are said to be Ukrainian drones flying directly into small open hatches on Russian armoured vehicles, demonstrating impressive flying skills on the part of the drone operators. On Wednesday, an apparent Ukrainian service member identifying as part of an unmanned aerial vehicle unit known as the Magyar Birds with […]
First Vertiport Management System Unveiled at Dubai Air Show
ANRA Technologies has announced its Vertiport Management System (VMS) at the Dubai Air Show. This groundbreaking platform marks a significant milestone in managing Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft operations at vertiport facilities. As the UAM landscape evolves, ANRA addresses a critical digital technology gap with the launch of VMS, a […]
Airbus to Provide Sales and Operations Support of Silent Arrow UAS to European Markets
Silent Arrow has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Airbus DS Airborne Solutions GmbH (Airbus), MEL Aviation Ltd and Yates Electrospace Corporation (dba Silent Arrow) to manufacture, distribute and support the Silent Arrow GD-2000 heavy cargo delivery UAS platform for European market segments to include: Public Sector, including humanitarian aid organizations Institutional […]
Feria Yucatán Xmatkuil 2023, Mérida Yucatán México
Feria Yucatán Xmatkuil 2023, Mérida Yucatán México juegos pirotecnicos en su inauguracion, al fondo se ve parte de los juegos mecanicos
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New Amazon Drone, Expansion of Drone Delivery Services: the DRONELIFE Interview
Amazon Prime Air debuts new drone, announces international expansion By DRONELIFE Feature Editor Jim Magill Amazon Prime Air, which last December launched its first two U.S. pilot projects, has unveiled a new updated UAV and plans to expand its drone delivery service to two European countries. Last month the company announced it would begin deploying […]
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Beyond Buildings: the Digital Systems that Will Manage Vertiport Operations for Urban Air Mobility
ANRA Technologies Introduces Vertiport Management System (VMS) for Urban Air Mobility at Dubai Air Show ANRA Technologies, a global leader in uncrewed vehicle mission management and operations solutions, unveiled its Vertiport Management System (VMS) at the Dubai Air Show, addressing a critical digital technology gap in managing Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Urban Air Mobility […]
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Drones, Digital Twins, and Asset Digitization: vHive Wins 2023 Enabling Technology Leadership Award
Today, vHive, a global market leader specializing in enterprise asset digitization, announced it has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan as a recipient of the 2023 Enabling Technology Leadership Award. This award recognizes vHive as a leading Digital Twins software solution provider for multiple industries, including telecom, renewable energy, and cranes, based on its years […]
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The biggest drone delivery companies of 2023
What are the biggest drone delivery companies of 2023? Almost exactly this time 10 years ago, the experts might have predicted that it would be Amazon. After all, the online retail giant made waves when then-CEO Jeff Bezos promised that his people would build a system that could deliver packages to your doorstep via drone within 30 minutes of the order being placed.
But while Amazon has done some small-scale drone delivery test projects, it’s hardly a large drone delivery company at all — especially compared to these competitors.
As it does every year, German-based drone analytics firm Drone Industry Insights sought to find the biggest drone delivery companies of 2023. To come up with those names, DII evaluated drone delivery companies based on three criteria, which are:
- Company size and development (growth)
- Public interest (media coverage)
- Financial data (where available)
After merging those metrics, DII was able to name the top five drone delivery companies of 2023, which are:
- Zipline (based in U.S.)
- Wing (based in U.S.)
- Matternet (based in U.S.)
- Swoop Aero (based in Australia)
- Manna (based in Ireland)
Once again, Zipline comes out as the No. 1 biggest drone delivery company in the world. It claimed the same title in 2022, in 2021, in 2020. Oh yes, it also claimed the title in 2019 and 2018. In short, it’s been giant and it continues to remain giant.
In fact, at the end of October, Zipline announced a critical partnership with Cleveland Clinic to use drones to deliver certain medications directly to patients’ homes around Northeast Ohio, starting in 2025. To kick those deliveries off on schedule, Zipline and Cleveland Clinic will begin working with government officials next year to ensure compliance with all safety and technical requirements for drone delivery. It also said it has plans to start installing docks and loading portals for its Platform 2 drone system, which will execute the deliveries.
That said, this year Zipline lost ground on its dominance of the drone delivery market, as others gain ground. Swoop Aero entered the top five ranking for the first time ever this year, even managing to overtake Manna.
We hear a lot about those five drone delivery companies, and for good reason. Walmart recently added Wing as a drone delivery partner (adding on to existing partnerships it has with other drone delivery companies including DroneUp, Flytrex and Zipline). Zipline just received FAA approval to fly its Sparrow drone beyond visual line of sight.
Other drone delivery companies to watch out for in 2024
Beyond those five, what other companies are making moves? There are a few other ones to watch out for in particular. Spright gained five spots in 2023’s ranking versus 2022. UPS Flight Forward gained an even-heftier six spots. Korea’s Pablo Air and Italy’s FlyingBasket also grew five spots in the rankings.
Another fairly big name, Flytrex, also just scored a big win recently when it announced on Oct. 31 that its Causey Aviation Unmanned (CAU) had received an exemption from the FAA to remotely fly drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) without visual observers. That authorization puts it in the league of others including Phoenix Air Unmanned, UPS Flight Forward, uAvionix and Zipline, which already have such BVLOS approval. What’s interesting about Flytrex, specifically, is that this is the first approval of its kind extended to an exclusively food delivery service, setting the stage for mass scaling of CAU and Flytrex’s operations throughout the US.
In short, that means the potential for more food deliveries via drone in more places.
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Airbus US Space & Defense Launches UAS Business Line
Airbus U.S. Space & Defense has unveiled a new business line focused on helping the Department of Defense meet its demand for uncrewed aircraft systems to detect and counter threats. Nearly 20 years ago Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, testified before Congress that “lethal unmanned aerodynamic vehicles are expected to pose […]
Latest Russian Drones Fire Lethal Slugs of Molten Metal
Russia’s newest Lancet explosive drones apparently fire slugs of molten metal that can shoot right past the add-on armour Ukrainian troops count on to protect their vehicles from drone attacks. If there’s any good news for the Ukrainians in the proliferation of drone-fired explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, it’s that the best-protected vehicles should be […]