Wing, Google’s Drone Delivery Company, Expands Its Air Fleet

In today’s business world, Alphabet’s subsidiary, Wing, is expanding its aerial fleet. This step forward aims to meet the increasing demand of customers by optimizing the management of larger orders.

Development and innovation

Having completed over 350,000 deliveries, Wing, under the leadership of CEO Adam Woodworth, has proven its drones are continuously evolving and learning. As a subsidiary of Alphabet, which also owns Google, the company stands out in the automated aerial delivery sector.

The newly introduced drone model by Wing is designed to accommodate larger orders, exceeding the capacity limits of previous models. While the existing fleet can carry up to about two and a half kilograms, the new aircraft maintains a range of 12 miles at 65 mph, but with a payload capacity of up to about two kilograms.

Optimization of deliveries

Approximately 70% of orders in the United States are carried out with a single drone, while the remaining 30% require two drones. The addition of this new model to Wing’s fleet is designed to better serve that 30%, further optimizing the company’s operations. According to Woodworth, the goal is to simplify the delivery of larger orders, just like airlines use different types of aircraft for different routes.

A versatile delivery model

Wing adopts what Woodworth calls an “aircraft library” approach to drone development. The company works on various configurations, leveraging core components already tested on its flight-proven models. This allows Wing to quickly and efficiently adapt to market needs, such as the demand for drones capable of handling larger orders.

Wing’s futuristic vision

Wing aims to implement a “multimodal drone delivery model”, similar to how ground deliveries adapt to the sizes of orders. The commitment is to make this vision a reality, increasing the convenience of drone deliveries for shoppers. With the new aircraft capable of carrying more food, medicine, and household essentials, customers in urban and suburban areas will be able to better bundle their orders, receiving them in a single, quick, and efficient trip.