How Zipline Built the World’s Biggest Drone Delivery Network

A burrito in Dallas and a vaccine in Rwanda get delivered by the same drone. (What an intro!)

While supply chains struggle to keep pace with demand, Zipline has quietly built the largest autonomous drone delivery network on the planet. Since launching its first flights in 2016, the company’s all-electric aircraft have flown over 100 million autonomous miles, delivering more than 1 million commercial packages across four continents. Those packages include life-saving blood supplies, critical vaccines, grocery orders, and restaurant meals, many dropped off in under an hour.

What started as a humanitarian project in East Africa has evolved into a global instant logistics platform backed by $1.2 billion in venture funding, U.S. regulatory clearances, and high-profile partnerships with governments, health systems, and major retailers like Walmart and Chipotle.

At its core, Zipline’s technology is simple but powerful – autonomous aircraft that are fast, quiet, precise, and scalable. Its fleet combines long-range fixed-wing drones for remote areas with a new generation of VTOL delivery Zips that hover above homes and lower packages with near-silent precision.

Without a doubt, Zipline is reimagining how goods move across borders, across industries, and into the hands of people who need them most.

From Rwanda’s medical drones to a global delivery network

When Keller Rinaudo Cliffton co-founded Zipline in 2014, the team was trying to solve a brutal logistics problem – how to get blood and vaccines to patients in places where roads disappear and supply chains stall.

The answer came in the form of a fixed-wing drone and an unlikely first customer, the government of Rwanda.

In 2016, Zipline launched the world’s first national medical drone delivery service, supplying clinics across Rwanda with blood, vaccines, and emergency medicine. Within three years, its drones were carrying 65% of the country’s blood supply outside the capital, cutting delivery times from hours to minutes. The service ran 24/7, in any weather, reaching remote health centers with precision and saving lives along the way.

From there, the model scaled fast. In 2019, Ghana launched a nationwide network of four Zipline hubs serving over 2,000 clinics and 12 million people. Nigeria followed with COVID-19 vaccine pilots in Kaduna and Cross River states. Kenya came next, setting up a drone hub with Zipline in Kisumu County for vaccine and blood distribution.

These early programs were laser-focused on cold-chain logistics, last-mile access, and public health at scale. Zipline’s fixed-wing drones proved they could safely deliver fragile, time-sensitive cargo in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach regions.

Before it even tackled consumer delivery in the U.S., Zipline became a backbone for national healthcare logistics.

Inside Zipline’s drone tech

From rural clinics to city rooftops, Zipline’s aircraft are built to fly autonomously, precisely, and quietly. Behind each drop is a system that blends robotics, aerodynamics, and safety engineering, fully tuned for speed, reach, and reliability.

Platform 1: Zipline’s fixed-wing workhorse that started it all

Zipline’s original system, now known as Platform 1, uses lightweight fixed-wing drones launched via catapult from custom-built hubs. Weighing about 20 kg, these aircraft cruise at over 100 km/h and fly at altitudes between 80 and 120 meters. After reaching the destination, they release packages via parachute into a target zone just five meters wide. The drone then loops back and is caught using a tailhook recovery system.

Platform 1 has been the backbone of Zipline’s medical delivery network, powering over a million deliveries across Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, and other countries where speed and reach save lives.

Platform 2: vertical drones and droids built for doorstep precision

In 2023, Zipline unveiled Platform 2, a leap forward in urban, on-demand delivery. This vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) system combines high-altitude safety with doorstep accuracy. Each P2 drone takes off vertically, flies forward at up to 112 km/h, and hovers at about 90 meters above the ground. From there, a tethered delivery “Droid” – equipped with its own sensors, thrusters, and onboard autonomy – lowers the package with near-pinpoint precision, within about one meter of the target.

The Droid navigates wind, obstacles, and uneven terrain on the fly, all while the main aircraft stays aloft and out of reach. All this results in a fast, quiet, and contactless delivery that works as well in suburban neighborhoods as it does at hospitals or logistics centers.

How Zipline’s drones fly themselves (safely)

Both platforms are built for Level‑4 autonomy. Once a package is loaded, software and onboard systems handle the entire mission, including launch, navigation, delivery, and return. Every drone is monitored remotely by operators who can intervene if needed, though human input is rarely required.

Each flight includes real-time diagnostics, redundant controls, and smart routing software to optimize for safety, efficiency, and weather conditions. This full-stack autonomy, with remote oversight and no need for line-of-sight, is what lets Zipline scale its system globally, from the hills of East Africa to the suburbs of Texas.

Zipline’s drone logistics engine that keeps deliveries moving

The magic of Zipline is in the backend. Behind every autonomous flight is a logistics engine built for speed, precision, and scale.

Each Zipline hub is both a launchpad and a high-throughput fulfillment center. Inside, trained operators prep orders, scan barcodes, assign cargo to flights, and hand off to launch teams. Drones are stored on racks, automatically charged, and loaded via streamlined handoff systems. Launch catapults for Platform 1 and vertical takeoff zones for Platform 2 keep turnaround fast and predictable.

The hubs are semi-automated, with software coordinating inventory, routing, and fleet readiness. This lets Zipline run multiple simultaneous flights with minimal downtime, all monitored from a central dashboard.

The process starts when an order is placed. A health clinic, hospital, or retail partner submits a request through Zipline’s system or API. A barcode scan links the package to its mission. From there, onboard and cloud software plans the route, taking into account weather, terrain, and local airspace.

Once loaded, the drone executes a fully autonomous flight – takeoff, navigation, drop, and return. Platform 1 drones release payloads by parachute – Platform 2 Zips hover while their Droid lowers a package precisely to the ground. Each leg of the journey is tracked in real-time.

From order to drop-off in under an hour

Zipline’s on-demand model slashes delivery times from days or hours to minutes. In many cases, the window from order to drop is under 60 minutes, and often much faster. That’s what makes the system valuable across use cases – blood during surgery, groceries during dinner, or prescriptions before bedtime.

Customers can watch their delivery live via app interfaces, track ETAs, and receive confirmation the moment the payload lands, whether that’s in a hospital courtyard or a backyard in Dallas.

Where Zipline delivers today – and how it’s expanding worldwide

Zipline launched its first operations in 2016 with the government of Rwanda and global vaccine alliance Gavi, creating the world’s first national drone delivery network for medical supplies. By 2019, the model scaled to Ghana, serving over 2,000 clinics and 12 million people through four autonomous drone hubs.

In the years that followed, Zipline expanded across Africa, delivering COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria (Cross River and Kaduna states), opening a new hub in Kisumu County, Kenya, and bringing fast access to blood, vaccines, and medicines to regions long underserved by road-based supply chains.

In 2022, Zipline made its Asian debut through a partnership with Toyota Tsusho, launching medical drone deliveries on Japan’s remote Goto Islands.

The U.S. became a key expansion market during the COVID era. Zipline teamed up with Novant Health and Memorial Hermann to deliver PPE, medicines, and vaccines to hospitals in North Carolina and Texas.

In 2020, Walmart announced a partnership with Zipline, opening a drone launch hub at its Pea Ridge, Arkansas store. From there, Zipline began home deliveries of health and grocery products within a ~50-mile radius.

The consumer use case soon took flight. By 2024, Zipline was delivering prepared meals and groceries for Panera Bread (Seattle/Houston), Jet’s Pizza (Detroit), and Sweetgreen (environmental pilots). In 2025, Chipotle joined the list with early “Zipotle” drone delivery tests in Dallas, turning Zipline into a go-to partner for retailers eyeing faster, quieter, last-mile fulfillment.

Zipline’s digital fulfillment platform powering partners and deliveries

Powering all of this is Zipline’s digital fulfillment platform. Through its software integrations and partner apps, customers can order prescriptions, groceries, or prepared meals and track their deliveries in real time.

Today, Zipline’s drones are delivering across Africa, North America, and Asia, with more expansion planned.

The business model fueling Zipline’s billion-dollar growth

With over $1.2 billion raised and a multibillion-dollar valuation, the company is building the backbone of autonomous logistics at global scale.

Since its founding, Zipline has secured backing from long-term tech investors like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), GV (Google Ventures), Baillie Gifford, Fidelity, and Goldman Sachs. That support culminated in a $350 million Series G round in June 2024, which pegged the company’s valuation at approximately $5.15 billion.

The capital has funded everything from aircraft R&D and U.S. expansion to full-scale manufacturing, all while keeping the company private and founder-led.

How Zipline is scaling instant logistics across the U.S. and beyond

Zipline designs, builds, and operates its own aircraft, launch systems, and distribution hubs. With FAA approvals for BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) operations in place, Zipline has quietly begun scaling across the U.S., adding new hubs in Texas, Florida, and beyond.

Manufacturing capabilities have followed suit. The company is ramping up domestic production to support its second-generation platform (P2) and onboarding more partners through its marketplace.

What makes the model powerful is its leverage. Once the aircraft and infrastructure are in place, each new customer, flight, and payload adds margin. The hardware flies itself. The software scales across geographies. And the unit economics are improving with every mile.

The impact behind the flights: saving lives, cutting emissions, creating jobs

From remote clinics in Africa to suburban homes in Texas, the company’s delivery network is quietly reshaping what logistics can mean for public health, climate resilience, and economic access.

Few technologies can point to lives saved as a KPI. Zipline can. In countries like Rwanda and Ghana, its drones have delivered over 22 million vaccine doses and become a critical link in national health supply chains. In Rwanda, 65% of blood outside the capital now moves by drone, slashing delivery times from sometimes days to just minutes and contributing to a 56% drop in maternal mortality in some service areas.

Zipline’s just-in-time delivery reduces waste, too. Fewer spoiled vaccines. Faster resupplies. Smarter allocation. According to company data, the cost per fully immunized child in some programs dropped to just $0.66, the most cost-effective intervention tracked in those regions.

Zero-emission flights, real-world results

Every Zipline flight is fully electric and that makes a difference. Compared to ground delivery via diesel vans or motorcycles, each drone trip cuts emissions by an estimated 97%. At over 100 million autonomous flight miles logged by early 2025, that translates to gigantic reductions in urban traffic, fuel use, and carbon output.

Even better, the service operates without building new roads or vehicles. It turns the air above us into a zero-emission logistics network with delivery precision within a meter and a noise profile described as “rustling leaves.”

What’s next for Zipline: bigger payloads, faster urban routes, wider reach

With over a million deliveries and 100 million flight miles behind it, Zipline has already proved that autonomous delivery works. The question now is how far, and how fast, it can scale.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s coming soon.

Developing larger-payload drones for cargo and commercial delivery

The company is developing next-generation aircraft designed to handle larger payloads and higher-volume logistics, potentially expanding its reach across healthcare, retail, and commercial shipping.

While they haven’t revealed full details, these prototypes are expected to build on the same zero-emission, autonomous backbone that powers its current P1 and P2 fleets.

Expanding urban drone delivery for everyday consumers

The shift to urban delivery is already underway. With Platform 2 drones quietly zipping groceries, prepared meals, and prescriptions across U.S. suburbs, Zipline is positioning itself as the first drone network built for daily consumer use.

Retail partners like Panera, Jet’s Pizza, Chipotle, and Sweetgreen are turning to Zipline to cut delivery times, reduce costs, and meet sustainability targets. For restaurants and retailers, the pitch is very simple – drones that deliver faster, with no emissions.

FAA approvals are opening new skies for Zipline

On the policy front, Zipline is steadily securing the approvals that others only talk about. In 2023 and 2024, the company received expanded FAA waivers for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations, unlocking new routes and markets across the U.S. These wins are critical. They remove a major bottleneck for scaling drone logistics at city or national levels.

Each regulatory greenlight brings Zipline closer to treating drone delivery as public infrastructure.

From drone product to global delivery platform

Ultimately, Zipline doesn’t just want to deliver stuff. It wants to become the air layer of logistics, a low-cost, ultra-reliable delivery network that sits alongside roads, broadband, and power lines.

That means expanding production, growing its U.S. infrastructure, and standardizing the drone stack for plug-and-play adoption worldwide.

Zipline’s vision for autonomous logistics

Zipline is changing how delivery works. Faster, quieter, and fully autonomous.

From emergency blood drops in Rwanda to grocery runs in Dallas, the company has turned drones into reliable infrastructure. Its system combines software precision, aviation-grade safety, and rapid logistics, all built to scale across borders and industries.

It all comes together in a delivery network that feels built for the world ahead.