Drone-maker Matternet first to receive FAA production certificate

Drone developer Matternet has obtained a production certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing the company to issue airworthiness certificates to its M2 drones as they are produced at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Similar to aircraft manufacturers like Boeing, Matternet’s production certificate will authorize the company to produce and test duplicates of its certified M2 Drone and appoint a designated manufacturing inspection representative to issue airworthiness certificates, Matternet’s Founder and CEO Andreas Raptopoulos told Cargo Facts. [caption id="attachment_56860781" align="alignright" width="460"] Matternet expects to have the M2 enter service in December 2022. (Photo/Matternet)[/caption] With the production certificate in hand, Matternet expects to have the M2 enter service in December 2022 for clients in the U.S. healthcare sector. The production certificate will be the first for any U.S.-based drone manufacturer and recognizes Matternet’s quality management system and ability to manufacture drones that adhere to the approved type design, according to a statement. In September, the M2 drone became the first unmanned cargo aircraft to earn an FAA Type Certificate . Matternet previously operated under a Part 135 exemption. Matternet’s M2 drone is a four-blade quadcopter drone capable of carrying a 2 kg payload up to 10 nautical miles. The M2 is designed to operate from a specifically designed Matternet Station, which provides a payload and battery exchange as well as an origin-destination point for the M2’s operations in urban areas. Matternet was one of several companies that received funding from Boeing’s HorizonX Ventures back in 2018 . Like Drone Delivery Canada’s Sparrow drone and Gadfin’s Spirit-One , Matternet’s last-mile drone has generated interest from the health care industry and medical use-case scenarios. The Spirit-One and Sparrow can both carry around 5 kg of cargo. Cargo Facts EMEA, the essential event for stakeholders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will take place live Feb. 6-8 in Dubai. Register today to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

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