Google’s been testing delivery drones for some time, officially unveiling its Project Wing in August of 2014.
Like Amazon, WalMart, and more, Google is looking to build a fleet of drones capable of delivering goods – both in the US and abroad. Much of these companies’ testing has been out of the country, as American regulatory bodies have been a little slow in drafting rules for commercial drones – and when they have the rules have not been at welcoming as many had hoped.
But now it looks like Google has set a tentative launch date for its Project Wing drones.
The BBC reports that project head David Vos made the announcement at a recent air traffic control convention in Washington.
“Our goal is to have commercial business up and running in 2017,” he said.
Here’s the latest look at Google’s delivery drones:
Watching baby steps of drone delivery, courtesy of Google X (5 miles in 5 mins is the promise) #zg15 pic.twitter.com/Xk2KyTRURP
— Aaref Hilaly (@aaref) October 19, 2015
The drones can apparently travel five miles in five minutes.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been handing out more and more exemptions for commercial drone operation – including to Amazon and Google. Walmart recently applied for one.
Vos was recently announced as a member of the new UAS Task Force, developed by the FAA and the Department of Transportation. Other members include reps from Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.