Matternet is preparing its cargo drones for FAA tests

Mountain View, Калифорния-based Matternet, the drone company you know from its partnership with UPS, is preparing its M2 cargo drones for Федеральное управление гражданской авиации (FAA) durability and reliability tests this year. The testing will bring the company closer to receiving special type certification for unmanned aircraft systems.

Matternet readies cargo drones for durability and reliability tests

Chris Gillis writes for FreightWaves that:

Achieving this certification from the FAA will establish that Matternet‘s M2 drone is airworthy and eligible for use by commercial air carriers. While numerous cargo delivery drones are undergoing development and testing, none has received this level of certification.

Since March 2019, FAA-approved drone airline UPS Flight Forward has used Matternet’s M2 drones to carry out various urban cargo delivery tests throughout the country.

In partnership with WakeMed Health, UPS Flight Forward used M2 drones to complete more than 1,850 deliveries of lab samples within its Raleigh, Северная Каролина, medical campus in 2019. The FAA requires UPS drone operators to maintain a clear line of sight of the machines during flight.

“The Matternet M2 has been purpose-built for its mission of urban medical delivery, combining solid engineering, years of flight experience, and the safety and security required for medical logistics,” said the company’s CEO, Andreas Raptopoulos, in a statement.

Receiving this type of certification from the FAA will allow UPS to scale operations much more quickly, Matternet said. However, industry experts say the agency’s durability and reliability testing to certify airworthiness is rigorous.

You can read the entire article here.

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Photo: Matternet