Amazon has suspended testing of its delivery drones after two models crashed during testing at its site last month. It’s the latest setback for Prime Air, which aims to deliver about 500 million packages a year to customers using drones by the end of the decade.
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According to the source, last month two drones crashed during testing in rainy weather at a test site in Pendleton, Oregon. Another incident occurred in September: then operators checked how drones would work if one of the propellers failed. During testing, two drones were deployed simultaneously, causing them to collide in the air.
The report notes that Amazon will suspend the use of drones for delivery in Texas and Arizona, where the company already conducts commercial operations using the aircraft. Flights will resume after updating the drone software.
The Prime Air program has faced numerous challenges over its lifetime, including the departure of key project leaders and the end of drone package delivery in California. Despite this, Amazon continues to plan to expand its delivery drone testing program outside the United States.