Medical Delivery Drone Platforms: Speed, Payload and Range Compared

Zipline's technology page states its aircraft 'flies up to 70 mph on a direct path, independent of ground traffic', which converts to roughly 113 km/h and is the highest published cruise figure among the platforms compared here. Zipline also states its drones hover up to 300 feet above the delivery point while a tethered droid descends with the package.

Wingcopter publishes a speed of 90 km/h for the Wingcopter 198, alongside a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg. DJI publishes a maximum horizontal speed of 20 m/s for the FlyCart 30, which converts to 72 km/h. Matternet's current aircraft page does not publish a cruise speed for the M2, and RigiTech's Eiger page publishes wind tolerance (up to 15 m/s) rather than a cruise figure, so neither is ranked here.

Among dedicated delivery VTOLs with medical deployments, the published payload ceiling is low: Wingcopter 198 at 4.7 kg, RigiTech Eiger at 3 kg with a 15-litre payload volume, Matternet M2 at 2 kg, and Zipline's Platform 2 at up to 8 pounds (3.6 kg), as reported by DroneXL. These figures cluster well below the 10 kg mark that procurement searches in this category regularly specify.

The aircraft that do publish double-digit payloads are multirotor cargo platforms, not medical VTOLs. DJI's FlyCart 30 publishes a payload capacity of 30 kg in dual-battery mode and 40 kg on a single battery, with a winch system rated for 20 metres of cable. The trade is range: DJI publishes a maximum flight distance of 16 km at a 30 kg load, against 28 km empty, with both figures collected in controlled, windless test conditions per DJI's own caveat.

The practical conclusion for buyers specifying a long-range 10 kg medical VTOL is that no platform compared here publishes that combination. The choice today is a light payload over tens of kilometres, or a heavy payload over a short hop.

RigiTech publishes the longest maximum range on this page at 100 km for the Eiger, with Wingcopter's 198 close behind at 94 km. Matternet publishes up to 20 km (12.4 miles) for the M2, positioned for urban and suburban hospital networks rather than long rural corridors. Zipline's current public pages do not publish a range figure for Platform 2, so this page does not state one.

Published range and published payload move against each other: the Eiger's 100 km comes with a 3 kg payload ceiling, and the FlyCart 30's 30 kg comes with 16 km loaded. Manufacturers rarely publish the full payload-range curve, and none of the figures here states the payload at which maximum range was achieved except where noted, which is a systematic gap in how this market specifies itself.

Matternet states the M2 is 'the world's only delivery drone to be issued a Type Certificate by the FAA', and its aircraft page also states authorisation for SORA SAIL III operations in Europe. That claim is Matternet's own, and it dates from the M2's 2022 type certification; it remains on the company's current page as of 24 August 2026.

The other platforms compared here operate under operational approvals rather than aircraft type certificates: waivers, exemptions and SORA assessments that attach to specific operations. RigiTech has stated the Eiger is progressing toward SAIL III. For how the FAA's proposed Part 108 rule would change this picture for all operators, see the FAA Part 108 BVLOS market page.