Amazon to Expand Drone Delivery to 500 US Cities

Uber announced a strategic investment in Zipline and a partnership to bring the company's drones onto the Uber Eats platform. Deliveries will begin in Dallas-Fort Worth, where Zipline has operated since 2025.

• 1 million daily drone deliveries is the target Uber and Zipline set for 2029.
• Zipline has completed 2 million deliveries to date across several countries.
• $7.7 billion is the projected drone delivery market size by 2031, per one analysis.
• $800 million: Zipline's most recent funding round, valuing it at $7.6 billion.

Why it matters: Drone delivery is expanding rapidly as federal regulations ease. A 2025 Trump administration order directed the FAA to propose broader deployment rules, drawing food and retail companies into competition for market share.

• Uber has committed more than $10 billion to dozens of autonomous vehicle and delivery providers as its core platform strategy.
• DoorDash launched its own drone program last month after receiving FAA approval, raising competitive pressure on Uber Eats.

How 17 sources split on this story

What’s next: Zipline drones are expected to begin Uber Eats orders by end of 2026, fulfilling deliveries in five to ten minutes.

• The companies plan to expand beyond Dallas-Fort Worth into dozens of additional U.S. cities.
• How much Uber invested in Zipline was not disclosed.
• Whether Uber's multi-partner drone strategy can sustain growth after its Waymo partnership breaks down in 2028 remains unclear.