DoorDash has unveiled a six-propeller autonomous aircraft for DoorDash Air, its in-house drone delivery service, after first developing the ground systems needed to move food from restaurant kitchens to customers. The company plans to begin pilot deliveries in Northern California with restaurants including Chipotle, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and Momo N Curry.
DoorDash introduced the aircraft at its Dash Forward 2026 event on Wednesday. Rather than start with the drone itself, DoorDash Labs first worked on packaging, loading systems, restaurant handoffs, and the software needed to decide when an order should travel by air.
DoorDash Built the Delivery System Before the Drone
The aircraft has six slow-spinning propellers mounted at the ends of its arms and uses a winch to pick up and lower packages. DoorDash says the design limits cruising noise to roughly that of a passing car when flying at delivery height and includes failsafe systems that can lower the aircraft safely if needed.
The company designed the system around years of marketplace data, including typical order weights and delivery distances. Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air, said the company started by examining what customers order and how restaurants operate rather than designing a drone first and adapting operations around it.
DoorDash estimates that about 80% of typical restaurant orders on its US marketplace are light and small enough to be carried by the aircraft. Early tests have produced average restaurant-to-customer delivery times of under five minutes for selected orders.
Software Chooses Between Dashers, Robots and Drones
DoorDash Air runs on the company’s Autonomous Delivery Platform, or ADP, which already coordinates Dashers, its Dot delivery robot, and other autonomous delivery partners. The system evaluates factors including weather, flight range, order weight, distance, kitchen preparation time, and ground traffic before choosing a delivery method.
DoorDash launched DoorDash Air in July after receiving a Part 135 air carrier certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration. The certification allows the company to operate commercial drone delivery services in the United States.
DoorDash Labs also developed Dot, the company’s autonomous ground delivery robot. DoorDash says it has already completed hundreds of thousands of autonomous deliveries through Dot and third-party robot and drone partners, with the new aircraft adding another option within the same delivery network.
Featured image credits: DoorDash
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