Zipline unveils P2 cargo drone delivery system

San Francisco-based Zipline revealed its new Platform 2 cargo drone delivery system in a virtual ceremony Wednesday.

The P2 system includes an electric fixed-wing vertical-takeoff and landing (VTOL)-capable drone along with a detachable delivery droid that integrates with docking stations at customer distribution hubs.

[caption id="attachment_56861830" align="alignright" width="460"] The P2 Zip lowers the Droid pod from a docking station. (Photo/Zipline)[/caption] P2 Zip, the fixed-wing VTOL-capable component of the P2 delivery system has an 8.6-nm service radius and a range of 20 nm while carrying payloads ranging from 2.7 kg to 3.6 kg at speeds of just less than 61 knots, Zipline told Cargo Facts.

During its unveiling ceremony, Zipline said the P2 will use docking stations at its customers' points of distribution where detachable cargo pods known as droids can be loaded. Zipline said that when the P2 Zip arrives at its destination, it will hover at more than 300 feet while its detachable droid descends to the ground to deliver packages.

Medicine and food delivery launch customers

Zipline said it will deploy the system in the United States with Sweetgreen, as the restaurant aims to become carbon-neutral by 2027. The delivery platform consumes 97% less energy than automobile last-mile delivery methods, Zipline said.

Michigan Medicine, Tacoma-based MultiCare health system and Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare will be among the first U.S.-based health care customers to operate the drone for medicine, laboratory equipment and medical device delivery.

The government of Rwanda, which was the first customer for the P1, will operate the P2 for deliveries to homes, hotels and health facilities.

Zipline said it will design, manufacture and operate its drones for these customers.

Upgrades to P1 legacy

Zipline said it plans to conduct high-volume test flights beginning this year, with the aim of 10,000 flights using a fleet of 100 test aircraft before it delivers its first P2 to customers.

Zipline, which was the first drone delivery company to earn Part 135 certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for cargo drone delivery flights in the U.S., said it does not expect certification of the P2 to take long given the company’s “longstanding and close relationship with the FAA.”

The company and its long-range P1 platform earned its FAA certification as a cargo airline in June 2022. Zipline told Cargo Facts that its P1 has flown more than 40 million miles, accomplishing 500,000 deliveries.

By comparison, the P1 offers a service radius of 104 nm and speeds of 52 knots. The P1 delivers its packages using a parachute to a designated drop zone of 23 square meters, according to Zipline. The P1 is fixed wing, without VTOL capability, and is recovered with an arresting rope that catches the drone as it flies in the air.

Zipline first began its operations in Rwanda in 2018 and its operations in Salt Lake City for Intermountain Healthcare in October 2022.

In comparison to other drones , the P2 is most similar in payload to the Drone Delivery Canada Sparrow , which has been deployed for medical missions in northern Canada. The P2 is also similar to Talyn Air, which hopes to operate with a detachable cargo pod .