The initiative will allow companies developing electric air taxis to begin real-world testing across multiple states, marking one of the most significant steps yet toward a new era of urban air mobility. While commercial services are still a few years away, the coming trials will see these aircraft move beyond demonstration flights and into operational environments.
DoorDash's investment in Also aims to develop and accelerate the deployment of autonomous delivery at scale, focusing on areas not yet fully solved for, including intersections of roadways and bike lanes.
Urban logistics is entering a new era where practical technology drives meaningful results. Today, more than 55% of people live in cities, and urbanization is expected to rise to 68% by 2050, placing intense pressure on delivery networks to keep up with growing demand. U.S. e-commerce is projected to reach $1.1 trillion in sales by 2026, heightening expectations for faster and more reliable last-mile service.
Hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicles are not a new concept. Drones running on hydrogen fuel have been in experimental forms for over a decade, but this is for the first time, a drone has been fully designed and deployed on full-scale combat duty in an active war zone. The drone is a hybrid version of the Raybird USA developed by Skyeton and is deployed with the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
"We were completely controlling the drone from the helicopter. For us, it's of course unique. Today, what we performed is a world first," Gerin-Roze told reporters on Thursday at the Singapore Airshow. The software is part of Airbus' contribution to the surging industry for drone wingmen, which the world's biggest aircraft manufacturers are betting will be the future of air warfare.