Zipline

1. 5

   Regulator-cleared or mass marketThis robot

   A regulator has cleared it where approval applies: FDA clearance or approval for a medical robot, a permit to run with no one aboard for a self-driving vehicle, or an FAA approval for routine drone flights. Or: Widely sold: sales in the hundreds of thousands, or a product category you can buy in ordinary shops.

   Placed by: The FAA gave Zipline a Part 135 air carrier certificate, the licence an airline needs, letting it run long-range drone deliveries from North Carolina (22 June 2022).

2. 4

   Paying customers

   Delivered to customers who pay for it, beyond a trial, or a paid service the public can use.

3. 3

   Pilot

   Working with a named customer in a real setting, as a trial.

4. 2

   Pre-orders

   Orders, reservations or deposits taken, with nothing delivered yet.

5. 1

   Demo only

   Shown in videos, staged events or a factory, with no units working for customers.

What we couldn't confirm. Zipline's latest stated total on DroneXL is more than 2.5 million deliveries (Sept 2026); a DroneXL headline mentions 3 million, which we could not confirm. Cleveland Clinic said the first deliveries were made the week before its 3 Aug 2026 announcement. FAA Part 108 (the rule that would make routine beyond-sight drone flights legal) missed its 1 Feb 2026 deadline; the final text went to White House review on 10 July 2026 and was not yet final per DroneXL on 16 Oct 2026.