For more than half a decade, Walmart has been testing a variety of drones to assess the viability of airborne deliveries. On Tuesday, a Walmart executive said the company now believes drone deliveries are ready to become a key part of the retail giant’s operations.

Drone delivery will “be in most areas that we operate in,” Walmart Senior Vice President of Technology and Innovation Greg Cathey said Tuesday. While Cathey did not provide a specific timeline, he made it clear that the retail giant is moving beyond small-scale tests.

“The regulatory environment is making it where this can be a viable business for us,” Cathey said on stage at the UP.Summit in the city where Walmart is headquartered, Bentonville, Ark.

While drone delivery is only currently available at a small handful of Wal

See Full Page