Zipline Platform 2

Zipline Platform 2, abbreviated P2 and marketed as the "Zip," is an electrically powered VTOL delivery aircraft built by Zipline of the United States, unveiled in March 2023. It takes off and lands vertically on five propellers, transitions to forward flight for cruise, and delivers packages by hovering and lowering them on a tether rather than landing.

Overview

Platform 2 is Zipline's second-generation aircraft, succeeding the fixed-wing Platform 1 that the company used from its first commercial service in Rwanda in 2016, which dropped packages by parachute. P2 instead docks and recharges autonomously at ground stations called Chargers, and lowers its payload — packed into a small delivery droid — to a landing kiosk called a Dropbox or directly to a customer, using onboard sensors and small propellers on the droid itself to steer the final few metres. Zipline began serving its first customers with P2 in January 2025.

As of January 2026, Zipline said its combined fleet had completed more than two million commercial deliveries and flown over 120 million autonomous miles, with a median flight time of about three minutes. The company operates P2 directly rather than selling it to other operators, running services in Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Japan and the United States, with service planned for Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Design and capabilities

Zipline's own fact sheet gives P2 a maximum payload of 3.6 kg (8 lb); the FAA's draft and final environmental assessments for Zipline's Texas and Dallas–Fort Worth operations put its total weight, including that payload, at about 28.6 kg (63 lb). The manufacturer quotes a cruise speed of 70 mph (about 113 km/h); Wikipedia's summary rounds this to 110 km/h. Zipline describes a 10-mile (16 km) service radius from a Charger, or up to 24 miles (38.6 km) one way. FAA assessments describe P2 flying its en-route legs at 101 m (330 ft) above ground level, briefly hovering lower over the Dropbox and the delivery point to lower its tether.

In the United States, Zipline operates P2 under a Part 135 air carrier certificate and a beyond-visual-line-of-sight exemption under 49 U.S.C. § 44807. Its approved Dallas–Fort Worth service allows up to 75 sites and up to 500 docks, for a ceiling of about 30,000 deliveries a day within a 16 km radius of each site. A draft environmental assessment published by the FAA in September 2026 would extend operations to Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Amarillo and El Paso, with a combined ceiling of up to 220,000 deliveries a day if approved; that document was still open for public comment as of this writing and had not been finalised.

Use cases

Platform 2 is used for medical and retail logistics: pharmacy items, groceries, restaurant orders and health-system deliveries in the markets Zipline serves. Its predecessor, Platform 1, remains focused on blood and medical-supply delivery to facilities that lack reliable road access; P2 is aimed at higher-frequency, shorter-range consumer and retail delivery in and around metropolitan areas.

Frequently asked questions

What is the range of the Zipline Platform 2?

Zipline's fact sheet describes a 10-mile (16 km) service radius from a Charger station, or up to 24 miles (38.6 km) one way.

How fast does the Zipline P2 fly?

Zipline states a cruise speed of about 70 mph (113 km/h); Wikipedia's summary rounds this to 110 km/h.

How does the Zipline P2 deliver packages?

It hovers over the delivery point and lowers a small autonomous delivery droid on a tether from about 100 m (330 ft), rather than landing.

How much can the Zipline P2 carry?

Up to 3.6 kg (8 lb) of payload, within a total aircraft weight of about 28.6 kg (63 lb), according to the FAA's environmental assessments.

Where does Zipline operate Platform 2?

As of 2026, Zipline runs P2 and Platform 1 services in Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Japan and the United States, with service planned for Ukraine and the United Kingdom.