Wing to fly new delivery drone with doubled payload capacity

Hot off the news it will be supporting Walmart’s sweeping aerial expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, drone delivery company Wing has unveiled another way it’s moving to enlarge its footprint in the skies: the introduction of a new UAV with a doubled payload capacity.

Alphabet-owned Wing said Tuesday during a New York presentation event it will be rolling out an augmented capacity version of what’s currently its largest delivery drone. That will effectively double the payload hauling power from the present 2.5 lbs. maximum to five. 

Despite the increased weight of orders Wing will be able to deliver to customers in a single flight, the new drone will maintain existing crafts’ range of 12 miles, and cruise speeds of 65 miles per hour.

The new drone will be of use in Wing’s work to help Walmart increase its household coverage in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to a potential 1.8 million homes – an effort it is splitting with the retailer’s other longtime drone delivery partner, Zipline. 

But its enhanced payload UAV introduction also reflects a longer strategy, and the emerging realities of Wing’s aerial operations.

In making the announcement, Wing CEO Adam Woodworth noted the company’s use of an “Aircraft Library” in its development of UAVs of differing sizes, capacities, and onboard tech. Like a well provisioned reading room, the strategy permits the company to adapt its selection to whatever shifting situations call for, thanks to its range and depth of choices.

In the case of drone activity, Woodworth said, that ability to pick and choose craft like different books on shelves is becoming more important against data showing fully 30% of all Wing deliveries requires two drone flights to complete order transportation.

“To better serve that 30% and further optimize our business, we will be introducing an additional aircraft to complement our existing fleet,” Wodworth said. “Think of it like how airlines operate different aircrafts for different routes: This new aircraft will streamline our deliveries of larger orders… Just like other forms of transportation, drone delivery is not one-size-fits all.”

Woodworth said the company expects the new drone to be operation within the next 12 months, which is pretty fast work to author another tome to its aerial library opus.