Alphabet’s Wing Develops Fleet of New Drones for More Efficient Package Delivery

Alphabet Inc.’s Wing subsidiary has developed a fleet of new drone prototypes designed to more efficiently deliver packages ranging from small pill bottles to items weighing as much as 7 pounds…

For the time being, Wing LLC’s delivery test operation is sticking with its Hummingbird W-B aircraft, a hybrid that can take off like a helicopter and fly horizontally like a plane, Chief Executive Officer Adam Woodworth said in an interview…

The prototypes are all based on the Hummingbird, which the company says can carry about 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) and has made hundreds of thousands of deliveries in Dallas suburbs, Virginia, Australia and Finland. They use many of the same components, such as motors and guidance systems, and follow similar designs.

The company is also considering building a prototype designed to make flights many times farther than the current 6-mile range and one to deliver goods over shorter distances in urban environments, Woodworth said.