Competitor Watch

Amazon has claimed it will use drones to deliver packages to customers ‘within months.’ 

The company says its drones can fly up to 15 miles and can deliver packages under five pounds (2.2kg) in less than 30 minutes - but only during the day and in clear weather.

The drones have wings and a rotor so they can fly like both a quadcopter and an aeroplane, allowing them to take off and land vertically and also glide horizontally. Amazon says they will be piloted by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies so they can detect static objects like chimneys, as well as moving objects. 

Speaking at the company's conference in Las Vegas, its worldwide consumer executive, Jeff Wilke, said the safety features were as ‘robust and stable as a commercial aircraft.’ He did not say where in the world the drone deliveries would initially take place, or precisely when. However, the US Federal Aviation Administration has granted Amazon a permit to operate the drone in the US. 

Despite claims of how sophisticated the technology is, Amazon's main challenge is going to be receiving regulatory approval. America's Federal Aviation Authority, said: ‘The FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate to Amazon Prime Air allowing the company to operate its MK27 unmanned aircraft for research and development and crew training in authorized flight areas.

‘Amazon Prime Air plans to use the aircraft to establish a package delivery operation in the United States. This certificate is valid for one year and is eligible for renewal.’

In the past, Amazon has been accused of using the promise of drone delivery as a headline-grabber to push its publicity around its Prime membership service. But in December 2016, the company ran an apparently successful trial in Cambridge, whereby a package was delivered, by drone, in just 13 minutes.