Alphabet's Wing makes $125 million manufacturing bet on drone delivery

Driving the news: Wing announced Friday that it is establishing a 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, capable of producing tens of thousands of delivery drones annually.

• The company plans to invest up to $125 million in direct manufacturing over the next two years, creating as many as 100 jobs.
• The expansion will support Wing's ambition to reach more than 40 million Americans across nearly 20 U.S. markets by 2027.

What they're saying: "Drone delivery has become a global reality, driven by clear demand from our partners and their customers," Wing CEO Adam Woodworth said in the announcement.

By the numbers: Wing, which began in 2012 as an experimental project at Google's moonshot laboratory, says it has completed more than 1 million U.S. home deliveries this year alone.

• It now operates from more than 70 sites serving major metropolitan areas.
• Wing's largest commercial partner is Walmart, which plans to offer its drone delivery service from more than 270 stores nationwide by 2027.
• Wing also partners with DoorDash.

The big picture: Drone delivery is approaching an inflection point as companies prepare to expand beyond limited pilot programs.

• Rival Zipline, for example, raised $1.5 billion last week to accelerate its expansion, while announcing a deal to add 300 Walmart drone delivery sites nationwide.