United Parcel Service (UPS) has partnered up with German drone maker Wingcopter to deliver its packages. UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF) was the first company approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the first to fly commercial drone deliveries outside the visual line of sight.
Now, this new partnership will help the delivery company the ability to deliver packages to remote locations that would otherwise be very difficult.
Bala Ganesh from the UPS Advanced Technology Group talked about the partnership in the press release:
Drone delivery is not a one-size-fits-all operation. Our collaboration with Wingcopter helps pave the way for us to start a drone delivery service in new use-cases. UPS Flight Forward is building a network of technology partners to broaden our unique capability to serve customers and extend our leadership in drone delivery.
The UPS press release also said they chose transport drone pioneer Wingcopter for their track record across multiple international settings.
Wingcopter drones feature vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, fixed-wing high-speed horizontal flying at speeds up to 150mph (240 km/h) with a range of 75 miles (120 km). The company claims the drones can withstand wind speeds of 33 mph (54 km/h) and gusts up to 44 mph (70 km/h).
The Wingcopter has a 5.8-foot wingspan (178cm) and from nose to tail it measures 4.3 feet (132 cm), with a payload capacity of 6kg (13.2 lbs). The patented tilt-motor mechanism allows for a seamless transition between the two drone modes, a multicopter for hovering and fixed-wing for low-noise forward flight.
A Wingcopter representative recently commented to Avionics International:
The advantage of the quadcopter is that you can start and land in the smallest of spaces, which is essential for package delivery in populated areas. The combination of the two drone types [VTOL and forward-flight] allows for a smooth transition from highspeed long-range flight into full-stop, allowing to land or, alternatively, to hover and lower a package through a winch mechanism without having to land. In that case, you don’t even need basic landing infrastructure.
Wingcopter has been used in Vanuatu to deliver vaccines for children in remote parts of the island that would normally take more than 6 hours to walk to. In other beyond visual line of sight (BVLOD) flights, Wingcopter has delivered insulin across the North Sea to an Irish Island. The drone’s ability to lower the packages down without needing a landing spot gives them even more range.
Wingcopter chief executive officer and co-founder Tom Plümmer on the partnership:
We are proud to partner with UPS, a global giant in delivery and logistics. Together we aspire to extend the speed and reach of package delivery. Our vision has always been to leverage technology to improve the lives of people around the world, and the strategic relationship with UPS will further accelerate our growth and global expansion, strengthening our role as an industry leader in drone technology.
UPSFF has plans to not only deliver medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities but to possibly use them for delivering retail, prescriptions and medical products in residential settings. In September 2019, UPSFF received the U.S. government’s Standard Part 135 certification to operate a drone airline.
