Amazon has announced that they will roll out their "Prime Air" drone delivery service in the UK and Italy by the end of 2024, in locations that still have to be revealed. The service has started in two locations in California and Texas, and a third U.S. city is supposed to be announced soon.
Credit: Amazon
Amazon said it is working with governments and authorities to launch its new service. The service is in its very early stage: as of May 2023, Amazon drones had made only 100 deliveries.
It still has to prove its reliability to the authorities. In the U.S., the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) has been very cautious and Amazon still needs to prove that they can fly thousands of flights completely incident-free before they can fly more freely above roads and people.
Today, Prime Air drones can fly only in the daylight and with no adverse weather conditions, such as strong wind, rain storms, or extreme heat. Amazon has also announced its new drone, the MK30, that will be in operation by the end of 2024.
Credit: Amazon
The MK30 is smaller and quieter than previous Prime Air drones and will be able to carry and deliver objects up to five pounds, with a typical delivery time of under one hour. The new drone includes a "sense and avoid" feature to avoid obstacles: buildings, people, animals... It will be able to fly under the rain.
Boxes can be loaded inside the drone and they are dropped from a certain height to a delivery pad located in the customer's garden.
Credit: Amazon
Watch the Amazon video to better understand how it works:
To know more, Amazon press release: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/amazon-prime-air-drone-delivery-mk30-photos