FAA Greenlights Matternet’s M2 Drone Delivery System

Matternet’s M2 delivery drone is the first non-military unmanned aircraft to receive design approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

After four years of “rigorous evaluation” by the agency, California-based Matternet achieved Type Certification(Opens in a new window), indicating its aircraft’s design meets regulatory standards.

The Matternet M2 and other drones have been flying via an FAA exemption known as Part 135 while their devices were under review. With this approval, “implementing new networks and getting approvals will be a more streamlined and predictable regulatory process,” Matternet says.

“This is a victory for not only Matternet, but for the whole UAS industry as it indicates a maturing of the industry and a shift away from exemptions and waivers towards more standard regulation,” says Jim O’Sullivan, VP of Regulatory Strategy for Matternet.

The drone maker has been working on an end-to-end solution for healthcare, e-commerce, and logistics organizations since 2019. Early partner UPS uses the M2 to carry payloads up to 4.4 pounds over distances up to 12.4 miles, delivering medical samples and prescriptions across a handful of US states.

“Drone delivery will revolutionize healthcare and e-commerce in the US,” CEO Andreas Raptopoulos said in a statement(Opens in a new window). “We’ve been at the forefront of this revolution since launching US operations in 2019—we are now ready for scale.”

Matternet has some competition from more established brands: Amazon recently expanded its drone delivery service into a second US town; Alphabet unveiled additional prototypes for carrying up to 7 pounds of cargo; and Walmart added UAS operations across six states with plans to operate from 34 sites by the end of this year.

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