Amazon will start delivering goods using drones

Amazon intends to launch delivery of small packages by drones in the U.S. in 2022. The company said so in a statement on its website.

“Our teams, which include hundreds of scientists, engineers, aerospace specialists and futurists, have worked hard to implement drone delivery, and later this year, Amazon customers living in Lockford, California, will be among the first to receive delivery from Prime Air.”

Lockford was chosen because of historical ties to aviation: one of the first aircraft builders, Weldon Cook, was born there. In 2022, residents of the small community will be able to receive “thousands of everyday items” thanks to free delivery by drones. The development of the delivery service will create jobs and foster local connections and cooperation, the company stressed.

As the Los Angeles Times notes, the delivery will also affect the community of Acampo, as well as partially the city of Lodi, California. According to Av Zammit of Amazon, which cited by the newspaper, the drones will deliver packages weighing 5 pounds, such as cosmetics, office supplies, batteries and non-weight home goods. The drone would have to fly to its destination in less than an hour and then drop the package in the recipient’s yard, Zammit stressed.

Amazon has been developing drones for small deliveries since 2016. To date, the company has several experimental devices.