Alphabet-backed drone delivery service Wing is scaling its commercial presence in the United States through a significant partnership expansion with retail giant Walmart. The two companies have announced that over 100 Walmart stores across five major cities Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa will soon offer drone-based deliveries. This is in addition to their existing operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
The move reflects Walmart’s growing belief in the role of drone technology in reshaping modern retail. A senior Walmart executive noted that drone deliveries are becoming an essential part of their mission to make shopping more efficient and accessible.
Wing, originally an experimental project under Alphabet’s R&D division, is now taking major strides as a commercial player. The company began working with Walmart in 2023, initially serving around 60,000 households in the Dallas area from just two stores. That pilot expanded rapidly, and now 18 Walmart Super centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are part of the Wing delivery network.
With the latest announcement, Wing is multiplying its Walmart footprint by nearly five times, marking a shift from trial stages to full-scale operations. Wing’s CEO highlighted that the successful scale-up in Texas provided a blueprint for expansion, which the company is now replicating in other urban centers.
While financial specifics remain under wraps, Wing says its business model focuses on low-cost, lightweight autonomous drones capable of rapid deliveries. The challenge, according to Wing, lies in scaling operations without proportionally increasing human resource costs. The company aims to keep staffing steady while growing its fleet and delivery volume, using efficient systems and automation to keep costs low.
Beyond retail, Wing is also branching into food delivery, teaming up with DoorDash to offer drone drop-offs from restaurants. The partnership began in Australia and has since expanded to U.S. cities including Dallas and Charlotte.
