Zipline
Zipline, a San Francisco company founded in 2014, delivers medical supplies, food and retail goods by autonomous drone.
With 1,001 to 5,000 staff and more than 1.2 billion US dollars raised, it flies Platform 1 for long-range deliveries and Platform 2 for home delivery, with FlightIQ managing autonomous flights beyond visual line of sight. The register has not verified its description.
No verified deployments yet
Zipline is profiled in the companies register, but no deployment has been verified against published evidence. Records are added as evidence is reviewed and graded.
Products & Solutions
3 productsPlatform 2 (P2)
VTOL autonomous drone system for short-range urban and suburban home delivery. A fixed-wing hybrid aircraft hovers at 300 feet AGL and deploys a tethered autonomous delivery droid to lower packages with precision.
Delivers food, retail goods, and health products directly to residences and businesses in urban and suburban environments faster than road-based delivery, while operating quietly and autonomously in dense airspace.
- VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) with fixed-wing forward flight capability
- FlightIQ, advanced onboard autonomy and perception suite for navigation, delivery, and safety
- Tethered delivery droid with sensors and propellers for precision placement within 1 m (3.3 ft) diameter
- Autonomous docking and recharging (dock-to-dock network charging)
6 more features
- UTM integration for multi-operator airspace deconfliction and BVLOS operations
- Automatic flight path planning, assignment, and deconfliction via Zipline software
- Zipping Points, no-construction business integration points for order loading
- FAA-approved BVLOS operations (UTM authorization for Dallas-Fort Worth, July 2024)
- Multi-rotor design with 5 propellers
- Acoustic optimization, software-tuned thrust allocation for noise reduction
Technical specifications (13)
- Maximum takeoff weight: under 63 pounds (including payload)
- Payload capacity: up to 8 pounds (3.6 kg)
- Cruise speed: up to 70 mph (110 km/h)
- Service radius: 10 miles (16 km); one-way range up to 24 miles
- Hover altitude: 300 feet (100 m) AGL during delivery
- Forward cruise altitude: 330 feet AGL at 47 mph
- Wingspan: approximately 7.8 feet
- Length: approximately 8 feet
- Height: approximately 1.8 feet
- Electric power: rechargeable lithium-ion batteries
- Delivery hover time: approximately 75 seconds total
- Navigation lights: red (left wingtip), green (right wingtip), white strobe (visible 3 statute miles)
- Paraland emergency parachute function
- FAA Part 135 air carrier certification
- FAA BVLOS authorization with UTM, Dallas-Fort Worth (first FAA UTM approval, July 2024)
- 49 U.S.C. Section 44807 exemption for BVLOS operations
- FAA Final Environmental Assessment approved for DFW operations (December 2025)
Platform 1 (P1)
Fixed-wing autonomous drone system for long-range delivery of medical supplies, blood products, vaccines, and enterprise cargo. Uses catapult launch, parachute payload drop, and arresting-wire recovery.
Enables fast, reliable last-mile delivery of medical and commercial cargo over long distances in areas where road infrastructure is limited or unreliable, while operating autonomously beyond visual line of sight in shared airspace.
- Fixed-wing flight optimized for long-range efficiency
- Onboard acoustic detect-and-avoid (DAA) perception system with 360-degree awareness up to 2,000 m range
- FAA-approved BVLOS operations without ground-based visual observers
- Parachute-controlled floating payload delivery from 60–80 feet AGL
6 more features
- Supercapacitor-powered electric catapult launcher
- Arresting-wire tail-hook recovery
- Level 4 autonomy, completes travel autonomously under normal conditions without pilot oversight
- UTM (Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management) integration for airspace deconfliction
- Hub-and-spoke distribution model
- Operates 24/7 in mountainous terrain and severe weather
Technical specifications (12)
- Weight: 44 pounds (20 kg)
- Wingspan: 11 feet (3.4 m)
- Payload capacity: up to 4 pounds (1.8 kg)
- Cruise speed: 101 km/h (63 mph)
- Service range: 120+ miles round trip (deliveries within 80 km / 50 mi radius)
- Cruise altitude: 80–120 m (260–390 ft) AGL
- Frame: inner carbon-fiber, outer polystyrene shell
- Dual propeller redundancy (can fly on single propeller/motor)
- Payload drop accuracy: within 5 m (16 ft) diameter zone
- Electric power with quickly-replaceable lithium-ion battery
- Launch acceleration: 0 to 67 mph (108 km/h) in 0.33 seconds
- Parachute emergency safety system
- FAA Part 135 air carrier certification (granted June 21, 2022)
- FAA BVLOS authorization using onboard acoustic perception system (first ever, September 2023)
- FAA Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for Model Zip UAS Sparrow (Federal Register, February 2022)
- FAA Part 107 waiver (granted 2020)
FlightIQ
Onboard autonomy and perception software suite integrated into Zipline's Platform 2 aircraft. Handles autonomous flight navigation, airspace deconfliction, delivery precision, and safety decision-making without requiring pilot intervention during normal operations.
Enables autonomous BVLOS drone operations in complex urban airspace by providing onboard intelligence for real-time navigation, obstacle awareness, and precise delivery placement without continuous human oversight.
- Advanced onboard autonomy for autonomous flight navigation
- Perception suite for real-time situational awareness
- Automatic flight path planning and deconfliction
- Delivery site evaluation, droid assesses landing zone safety before descent
3 more features
- Acoustic noise optimization through software-controlled thrust allocation
- Automated flight termination and return-to-dock if aircraft departs predetermined operational area
- Integration with UTM for cooperative airspace management
Technical specifications (4)
- Onboard processing (no reliance on ground communications for nominal flight)
- Automatic route generation and re-generation capability
- Strategic and tactical airspace deconfliction for multi-vehicle operations
- Position monitoring with automatic corrective action
- Embedded within FAA Part 135-certified P2 platform operations
- FAA BVLOS operational approval (UTM-based, July 2024)
Profile data from the Aerostack companies register; deployment records from the verified register. Evidence grades: T1 first-party confirmation, T2 credible reporting. See Our approach for how records are graded.