The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted a production certificate to California-based Matternet for its M2 delivery drone. This makes Matternet the first and, at present, the only company able to produce certified delivery drones in the US.
The development comes weeks after the M2 aircraft achieved FAA standard type certification, the first of its kind for a drone built specifically for package deliveries. So, the latest certification is essentially an acknowledgment that Matternet’s Mountain View production facility is capable of churning out drones conforming to the approved type design. This also means that Matternet is now able to manufacture, test, and issue airworthiness certificates for M2 drones without delay.
The company says it expects the first M2 drones produced under this production certificate to enter service later this month. An early-mover advantage is important for Matternet, which is currently focused on expanding its American operations within the health sector. Drone delivery can enable the fast, on-demand, and routine delivery of lab samples to offsite testing facilities, and several companies including Zipline are eyeing this space in the US.
Andreas Raptopoulos, founder and CEO of Matternet, is also quick to stress that FAA-certified delivery drones can be a significant solution to challenges faced by health systems increasingly stretched thin and facing demands for new efficiencies. Raptopoulos says:
The aircraft produced under this Certificate will be the very ones that lead a transformation of how we deliver time-sensitive materials, especially in critical industries like healthcare.
To be clear, though, Matternet’s M2 drones are also eligible for commercial delivery operations.
Read: This drone parachute recovery system helped Matternet M2 to secure FAA design safety nod
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