Matternet's Model M2 Drone Gets FAA Certified for Airworthiness

Matternet's Model M2 drone has been used for goods delivery by UPS. (photo: twitter @matternet)

JAKARTA - Matternet has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the design of the Model M2 delivery drone. In its press release, Matternet explained that the Model M2 is the first non-military drone to achieve Type Certification by the FAA. The certification determines that the aircraft design meets those regulatory standards.

California-based Matternet has been testing the Model M2 drone for the past four years in the US as part of the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program. As quoted by The Verge, Matternet said it had received the green light from the FAA which could help streamline the process for deploying the new network and getting approval.

Matternet partnered with UPS in 2019 to deliver medical supplies in North Carolina, and then began shipping prescriptions in Florida. Matternet is also expanding its footprint to Switzerland, where it is working with the Swiss Post to deliver laboratory samples and blood tests.

The program was briefly suspended in 2019 after its drones had two crashes in the country. But Matternet has since announced that it is taking over the Swiss Post drone delivery program starting in 2023.

In a statement, the FAA said the Model M2 Matternet drone complies with all federal regulations for safe, reliable and controllable operation and provides a level of security equivalent to airworthiness standards applicable to other aircraft categories.

The four-rotor drone has been approved to carry a payload of up to four pounds and fly at altitudes of 400 feet or lower with a maximum speed of 45mph.

The Matternet announcement comes as other tech and retail giants are starting to step up efforts to get their own drone delivery service. In May, Walmart said it would expand its drone delivery network, which it launched last year in partnership with DroneUp, to Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia by the end of 2022.

Amazon also announced plans to begin discontinuing its drone delivery program in June, eventually bringing drone-powered deliveries to Lockeford, California and College Station, Texas.

Wing, the drone company owned by Google parent Alphabet, also recently launched tests in parts of Texas and started work on drones capable of carrying larger payloads.