by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb
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Mountain View, CA-based Matternet, a developer of urban and suburban UAV delivery systems, recently announced that its Matternet M2 drone received its first amendment to its UAS Type Certification by the Federal Aviation Administration, highlighting the continued improvements to the M2’s hardware and software package which will enable Matternet and its customers, (like UPS and Ameriflight) to scale operations faster and more cost-effectively.
“We are thrilled with the FAA’s decision to grant this amendment, the first-ever to a UAS Type Certification,” said Andreas Raptopoulos, Founder and CEO of Matternet. “As we develop more advanced technology, it’s very important that we are able to move quickly through the FAA Type Certification process, the gold standard in airworthiness certification.” Matternet has been a leader in government relations within the space, receiving its second type certification before any other product receives its first. In 2022, the M2 became the first non-military unmanned aircraft to achieve Type Certification (September 2022) and Production Certification (November 2022) in the United States, after vigorous testing by the FAA found that the drone was both airworthy and eligible for scaling as part of delivery operations.
Matternet provides an end-to-end delivery solution built around the M2 Drone, the Matternet Software Platform, and the Matternet Station. Currently, both UPS and Ameriflight are operating the M2 under Part 135 plans, enabling thousands of commercial flights over densely populated urban and suburban regions.The scalability of the M2 platform was highlighted earlier this year, when the FAA granted Matternet a waiver that would allow a single pilot to control up to 20 Matternet M2s. Production of the new M2 model is beginning now, as Matternet continues to work on increasing access through regulatory approval worldwide. The company continues to explore and scale operations throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
More information on Matternet and the M2 Drone is available here.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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