The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted authorization to drone delivery and logistics company Zipline for commercial deliveries using drones capable of flying beyond the operator's line of sight (BVLOS). Zipline will employ its Sparrow drone, known for releasing payloads via parachute and having a remarkable range of up to 120 miles, for BVLOS operations. This achievement builds upon Zipline's previous milestone of receiving FAA Part 135 approval for long-range drone delivery in the United States in 2022.
Zipline's announcement highlights that, until now, even the most advanced long-range drone deliveries in the U.S. necessitated visual observers stationed along the delivery route to monitor the skies. With this significant regulatory approval, Zipline aims to foster the widespread integration of autonomous aircraft into the U.S. national airspace, making commercial drone delivery scalable and cost-effective.
The company emphasizes that its delivery drones are equipped with an onboard perception system incorporating ADS-B transponders to identify nearby aircraft and an acoustic avoidance system utilizing lightweight microphones to detect and evade other aircraft flying within a two-mile radius in all directions. Zipline boasts an impressive track record, having completed over 700,000 deliveries to customers and flown 50 million autonomous commercial miles using its drone platforms. In addition to the United States, Zipline operates in various countries, including Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Japan, Kenya, and Côte D'Ivoire.