• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

White House Gives Thumbs Up to Drone Delivery Test By Google’s Parent

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 2, 2016, 3:56 PM ET
493606849
Flying drone with cameraPhotogtaph by Buena Vista Images — Getty Images

Drone deliveries are one step closer to becoming a reality in the U.S.

The White House said on Tuesday that it’s rolling out several initiatives designed to increase the use of drones by businesses. The announcement comes after the Federal Aviation Administration’s recently released rules for companies that want to use drones for chores like taking aerial photos of crops and inspecting power lines.

As part of the initiative, the White House said that the experimental drone delivery program by Google’s parent company, Alphabet (GOOG), would conduct a research study at one of the FAA’s six approved drone testing sites.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The goal of the research study by Alphabet’s Project Wing, overseen by the company’s research arm, X, is to learn about integrating large-scale drone delivery services into commercial airspace. The White House said that it would share data from the project “with government partners to help regulators answer critical safety and human factors questions” for drone delivery operations.

At the yet-to-be-revealed testing site, X will fly drones carrying cargo beyond the line of sight of human drone operators. Currently, companies must petition the government to fly drones outside the field of vision of drone operators.

The White House also said that it’s also giving $35 million to the National Science Foundation for a five-year research project into how to use drones effectively for work like inspections, disaster response, and studying severe storms.

The Department of the Interior will also take on more drone-related projects like creating a training program for emergency crews to learn how to use drones for search and rescue missions. The agency also plans to start using drones to carry cargo by December 2017 as a way to cut costs compared to using conventional aircraft in its operations.

New York State, one of the FAA’s six drone-testing sites, is also investing $5 million into drone projects in an effort to make the state a hotbed for commercial drone activity. One project involves creating “an innovation district” for unmanned systems in a corridor between Syracuse and Rome, NY., according to the White House announcement.

Another part of the plan is for North Dakota, another FAA drone-testing site, to let companies fly drones beyond the visual line of sights of operators at its new drone business park near Grand Forks Air Force Base. The announcement said that “these flights will go from the surface to 29,000 feet without a chase aircraft” to help with the development of larger and faster drones that can fly at higher altitudes.

In addition to the White House’s announcements, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said that over 500,000 hobbyists have registered their drones since the FAA debuted a national drone registration service in December.

For more about drones, watch:

In February, the FAA said that over 325,000 people have registered their flying robots in the system, which is more than the 320,000 piloted aircraft registrations in the FAA’s registration system.

Amazon, in addition to companies like Google and Walmart (WMT), is also interested in using drones for delivering customer orders. In July, the giant retailer said it partnered with the British government to experiment on drone deliveries in the country.

The White House did not mention Amazon (AMZN) in its Tuesday announcement, so it remains to be seen whether Amazon will begin testing drone delivery services in the U.S. Amazon is also testing drone deliveries in Canada and the Netherlands.

In July, Project Wing’s head Dave Vos praised the federal government and said it’s made more progress regulating drones over the past two years than the last two decades.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

vegan cheese
AITech
A Mark Cuban-backed vegan cheese company trained AI to scrutinize cardboard boxes. It’s saved $400,000
By Jake AngeloMay 1, 2026
36 minutes ago
Young trade worker learning on job
SuccessHiring
Forget Big Tech: Small businesses will hire nearly 1 million grads in 2026—and some of the hottest roles are gloriously AI-proof
By Emma BurleighMay 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Andrew McAfee
SuccessCareers
MIT AI expert warns automating Gen Z entry-level jobs could backfire—and cost companies their future workforce
By Preston ForeMay 1, 2026
2 hours ago
duke
Big TechAmazon
Amazon Prime Video reaches deal with Duke Blue Devils to air 3 games per season
By The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
4 hours ago
valerie
CommentaryLayoffs
Tesla’s former HR chief: the AI layoff panic Is built on a false premise—here’s what most workers need to know
By Valerie Capers WorkmanMay 1, 2026
5 hours ago
AI
AIdisruption
Meet the Americans dismissing AI hype and using it with ingenuity: ‘The efficiencies gained out of it have been tremendous’
By Cathy Bussewitz and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
24 hours ago
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
Conferences
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
By Nick LichtenbergApril 29, 2026
2 days ago
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
4 days ago
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
Commentary
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
By Derek KilmerMay 1, 2026
9 hours ago
Exclusive: America's largest Black-owned bank launches podcast with mission to unlock hidden shame holding back generational wealth
Banking
Exclusive: America's largest Black-owned bank launches podcast with mission to unlock hidden shame holding back generational wealth
By Nick LichtenbergApril 29, 2026
2 days ago
America shot its arsenal empty in 2 wars. Now it needs Beijing's permission to reload
Commentary
America shot its arsenal empty in 2 wars. Now it needs Beijing's permission to reload
By Steve H. Hanke and Jeffrey WengApril 30, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.