IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Where have autonomous drones started making deliveries?

Answer: To ships offshore.

Autonomous drones making deliveries to your front door aren’t a thing yet, but this idea did just get one step closer to reality. A self-piloting drone recently made its first delivery to a ship anchored offshore, kicking off a trial period for shore-to-ship delivery. Part of Airbus’ Skyways project, these drones are intended to speed up shipping operations and delivery times.

On March 15, the Skyways drone delivered a 3.3-pound package of 3-D printed objects from Singapore’s Marina South Pier to a ship waiting about 0.93 miles offshore. The delivery took 10 minutes round-trip, much less time than it would have taken humans to do it. The drones can carry up to 8.8 pounds and have a maximum range of 1.86 miles.



Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.