Uber Eats to test US drone deliveries with Flytrex
Partnership aims to bring drone-based meal delivery to select markets by year-end, expanding Uber's autonomous mobility push.
Uber Eats announced Thursday that it will begin testing drone deliveries for select meals in the United States in partnership with Flytrex Inc., a Tel Aviv-based drone company. The pilots are expected to begin in markets later this year as part of Uber's broader push into autonomous mobility and delivery.
Uber said the deliveries will be tested in markets by the end of the year. The company did not identify which markets will participate, but Flytrex already operates drone deliveries in Texas and North Carolina. Flytrex has reported more than 200,000 deliveries across the United States in the past three years.
Uber's president of autonomous mobility and delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, said the partnership marks a new chapter for the speed and sustainability of food delivery. "Autonomous technology is transforming mobility and delivery faster than ever before," Maredia said in a company statement. "With Flytrex, we're entering the next chapter—bringing the speed and sustainability of drone delivery to the Uber Eats platform, at scale, for the first time."
Flytrex Executive Chairman Noam Bardin described drones as the future of food delivery, noting the collaboration combines Uber's logistics prowess with Flytrex's aerial know-how. "Autonomous drones are the future of food delivery—fast, affordable, and hands-free. Flytrex has already delivered over 200,000 meals to suburban households in the past three years. Partnering with Uber—pioneers of ground-based mobility—brings together proven logistics expertise with aerial innovation. Together, we’re building the infrastructure for a future where autonomous systems seamlessly move goods through our communities, making faster, safer, and more sustainable delivery the new standard," Bardin said in a statement.
San Francisco-based Uber is investing in Flytrex as part of the deal, though financial terms were not disclosed Thursday. Flytrex, founded in 2013, has carried out drone deliveries for Uber Eats’ rival DoorDash and has been expanding its footprint in the United States.
The drone-delivery push sits within a broader competitive landscape in which multiple players are pursuing aerial food delivery. Alphabet's Wing works with DoorDash and Walmart, while Zipline operates with Walmart and Panera Bread and also provides services to hospitals. Amazon is moving forward with its Prime Air drone effort. In that context, Uber and Flytrex describe their collaboration as the next step in scalable, autonomous logistics for urban and suburban settings.
As drone delivery tests proceed, Uber said the goal is to demonstrate how fast, sustainable, and reliable aerial deliveries can be at scale. The company emphasized that the pilots will rely on Flytrex's existing logistics framework and Uber's consumer platform, with safety and regulatory compliance guiding every phase. The test markets and rollout timeline beyond the initial pilots will depend on pilot outcomes, regulatory approvals, and consumer adoption.
Industry observers note that successful early tests hinge on airspace management, weather resilience, battery efficiency, and integration with restaurant operations. Uber and Flytrex said they will share more details about the pilot progress as it unfolds, including customer pick-up experiences, delivery times, and safety metrics.
The partnership underscores Uber's broader strategy to diversify beyond ride-hailing into autonomous mobility and logistics services. If the tests prove successful, the companies could expand drone deliveries to additional markets, potentially reshaping how meals are delivered in suburban neighborhoods and, eventually, in more densely populated areas.