Uber is taking to the sky in the form of drones—hot meals delivered without congestion. The company that took ride-sharing by storm and then branched into food delivery by bike, car, and even sidewalk robots has entered a strategic partnership with Flytrex Inc.

A pilot program will begin in selected U.S. regions later this year. In Flytrex, Uber has found a proven player in drone delivery. The company has completed more than 200,000 deliveries across the United States and operates with Federal Aviation Administration–certified safety standards. Flytrex is also one of only four drone delivery providers authorized by the FAA for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, a prerequisite for scaling commercial services.

The deal, announced Sept. 18, 2025, marks Uber’s first investment in drone technology and its first step into autonomous aerial logistics. Uber Eats deliveries fulfilled by Flytrex drones will appear on the Uber platform, with integration designed to provide a streamlined experience for restaurants, couriers, and consumers.

“Autonomous technology is transforming mobility and delivery faster than ever before,” said Sarfraz Maredia, president of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber. “With Flytrex, we’re entering the next chapter—bringing the speed and sustainability of drone delivery to the Uber Eats platform, at scale, for the first time. Together, we’ll reshape how food, convenience items, and other essentials move through cities.”

Flytrex, based in Israel with operations in multiple U.S. states, brings to the partnership a record of more than three years of suburban drone deliveries. Its drones can fly up to several miles from launch points, typically serving customers within a two- to three-mile radius. The aircraft can reach speeds of up to 32 mph and usually complete deliveries in under five minutes. Items are lowered to the ground by tether from weatherproof containers designed to keep food secure and at the correct temperature.

Uber’s entry into the space suggests the skies above U.S. suburbs may not remain quiet for long.

“Picture this: 50,000 autonomous drones, picking up meals from restaurants and delivering them to backyards across America autonomously,” said Noam Bardin, executive chairman of Flytrex. “What does that network, technology and operations look like? How do you build it safely, securely, and profitably while still giving an amazing experience to our users? That’s the challenge we’re tackling at Flytrex. And we’re proud to welcome Uber as a customer, partner, and investor in building this future together. The skies are about to get a lot more interesting.” 

Six years ago, the FAA granted the first federal air carrier certification for drones to Google affiliate Wing Aviation, enabling commercial deliveries. Since then, Amazon, Walmart and DHL have tested drone services. Sometimes there are mishaps. On Oct. 1, two Amazon Prime Air drones collided with a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, sending the equipment and the drones crashing into parking lots below. The National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation.

Bardin, who previously led Waze as CEO for more than a decade, has framed the challenge of drone delivery as less about flashy demonstrations and more about long-term infrastructure. “Demos in autonomy are relatively easy. We saw plenty of them ten years ago, achieving 80% autonomy in months,” Bardin said. “But building a real, regulated, safe, profitable, and beloved service? That’s another decade of work. But now it is finally happening. Waymo cars in San Francisco. Flytrex drones in Dallas–Fort Worth. The logistics playbook is being rewritten.”

He has also argued that food delivery is the most promising use case in the U.S. “Over 70% of restaurant meals are eaten off-premise. And with food, time matters. Hot fries and cold fries are two different products. Especially in the suburbs—where distances are long and density is low—a five-minute drone flight or an hour in the back of someone’s Honda Civic do not deliver the same fries.”

For Bardin, drone delivery also addresses environmental and cost inefficiencies. “Driving a 4,000-pound car to deliver a 1.5-pound burrito? That’s crazy. The cost is even crazier—between markups, fees, and tips, sometimes the food is the cheapest part of your order,” he said. “At Flytrex, we’re building a new kind of food delivery network—fast, cheap, sustainable, and with minimal human handling. We want to help clean the skies of pollution and roads of traffic while delivering your food in under 5 minutes, at a price so low you won’t even think about it.”

The broader potential of drones stretches well beyond dinner. “The drone space has massive implications,” Bardin said. “In Africa, drones deliver life-saving malaria medicine. In Ukraine, they’ve become a key military asset. In suburban America, they might get you a defibrillator in minutes—or just a forgotten tube of toothpaste from Walmart.”