Matternet unveils M3 autonomous drone delivery platform

Matternet has unveiled M3, its next-generation autonomous drone delivery platform designed to support instant delivery across food, retail, healthcare and industrial logistics.

The company said M3 is built around dedicated delivery micro-hubs that can be installed on the rooftops of restaurants, retailers and hospitals. The system is designed to operate autonomously without an on-site operator or human interaction with the aircraft.

Under the system, a sender places a bag or package into the M3 Portal before walking away. The platform then autonomously manages the delivery process through to the destination, enabling goods to be transported without direct intervention during flight.

Andreas Raptopoulos, Founder and CEO of Matternet, said, “We started Matternet to build a new layer of transportation above our cities. M2 proved it can be done safely for some of the most demanding use cases in the world. M3 is how we scale drone delivery into an infrastructure layer that anyone can access, and everyone can depend on.”

The M3 system comprises three components: the M3 Aircraft, which can autonomously carry packages weighing up to 11 pounds across a 10-mile service radius; the M3 Dock, which stores and charges the drone between flights; and the M3 Portal, an off-grid drop box that allows multiple packages to be deposited for pickup.

He said the aim is to make drone delivery a reliable, low-cost utility that can be integrated into everyday logistics operations. The company has named Dave’s Hot Chicken as an initial M3 launch partner in the US and Apian as a UK launch partner. Apian currently operates a drone delivery network for the National Health Service in Central London. They expect to announce more M3 partnerships in the coming months, targeting high-volume and instant-delivery applications.

Targeting the second half of 2027 to begin commercial M3 operations and plans to establish US-based manufacturing capacity for the aircraft, the company will also leverage its strategic partnership with SoftBank Robotics America, announced in April 2026, to expand its delivery networks in the US and other key markets.

M3 builds on more than a decade of Matternet’s operational experience, including the M2, which became the first drone delivery system to receive both Type Certification and Production Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Matternet has operated commercial drone delivery networks across the US and Europe, serving healthcare, logistics, and residential delivery applications.

Matternet develops commercial drone delivery systems for urban and suburban operations. Its M2 platform is the only drone delivery system to receive standard Type Certification and Production Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration, while its next-generation M3 platform is designed to enable fully autonomous aerial delivery at scale.