Alphabet Inc’s drone delivery division Wing Aviation LLC introduced a new aircraft today that can carry bigger payloads than its counterparts allowing the company to deliver larger orders for customers.

The new drone will add to Wing’s already existing fleet of aircraft, which the company calls its Aircraft Library, which allows its teams to work on an approach to drone development based on core components and adapt designs quickly for market needs.

The new drone is an upgrade over the standard configuration for Wing’s drones which can carry up to 2.5 pounds raising the payload to up to five pounds. Just like the other drones in Wing’s fleet, it can reach up to 65 miles per hour cruise speed while carrying a cardboard delivery box and has a 12-mile round-trip capability.

The company’s drones are fully autonomous in flight and can fly from their base of operations to the site of the drop-off with very little human intervention. When a drone arrives at its delivery location, it does not land. Instead, it hovers above the ground and lowers the package attached to a wire and leaves it. It then returns to the facility to recharge and receive another delivery.

“It’s always been our vision to implement a multimodal drone delivery model, in the same way that ground delivery uses different vehicle sizes for different orders,” said Wing Chief Executive Adam Woodworth. “We’re committed to making that vision a reality so more shoppers can experience the convenience of drone delivery.”

Wing has completed more than 350,000 deliveries to customers’ homes across three different continents, Woodworth said. The service also has the ability to fulfill orders larger than fit on one aircraft.

According to company data, 70% of all U.S. orders are delivered by one Wing drone, while 30% are delivered by two. With the addition of this new model, the company can make more efficient route planning and send fewer drones for delivery.

“With the new aircraft carrying more food, medicine, and household essentials, customers in urban and suburban areas will be able to bundle their orders better — and receive them in one quick trip,” said Woodworth.

Wing began its service in Australia and Finland, beginning in 2017, and expanded a pilot program in Virginia in 2019. The company now also has operations in Texas and recently teamed up with Walmart to make deliveries in Dallas. Similarly, Amazon.com Inc.’s competing drone delivery service Amazon Prime Air launched a drone delivery service in Lokeford, California, and College Station, Texas.

Image: Wing