Walmart's Drone Delivery Coming To 5 More US Cities

Walmart is expanding its drone delivery service to five more US cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa, in addition to its existing services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and northwest Arkansas. This expansion will make Walmart the first retailer to scale drone delivery across five states, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. The service will cover 100 stores across the five cities, allowing millions of customers to receive their orders in minutes. Walmart has partnered with Wing, a drone company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, to offer the drone delivery service. The drones are overseen by pilots from a central location who monitor air traffic and weather to ensure safety, and they are built to operate in a wide range of weather conditions. When a customer places an order, Wing's system automatically chooses a safe and efficient route to deliver the package while avoiding obstacles. The drones fly at 65 miles per hour and have a range of 6 miles one-way or 12 miles on a round trip. Walmart's expansion is the world's largest drone delivery expansion, according to Wing, and the company currently completes thousands of deliveries each week using the drone system. The average fulfillment time for Walmart's drone delivery is less than 19 minutes, making it a convenient option for customers. The success of Walmart's drone delivery service is not unique, as other companies such as Amazon and DoorDash are also operating drone delivery services in various parts of the country.