Amazon sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Thursday asking for permission to test Prime Air drones at its headquarters to speed up shipping.
Gaining permission would allow Amazon to run tests for the unmanned aircraft outside the FAA's six designated testing sites located across the U.S., according to CNET. The company said it would be able to make changes faster, which would let it test out new designs without having to go to the FAA's sites to do so.
"We want to do more R&D (research and development) close to home," said Paul Misener, vice president of Global Public Policy.
Prime Air is claimed by Amazon to be able to deliver parcels to customers in 30 minutes and fly up to 50 miles per hour. The company added that the drones are currently on their eighth and ninth generation, TechCrunch reported.
"One day, seeing Amazon Prime Air will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today, resulting in enormous benefits for consumers across the nation," Amazon said.
The FAA must figure out how to regulate the technology before Prime Air can be made commercially available, CNET reported. The agency currently regulates the use of drones by hobbyists, and also lets people petition for an exemption from the rules if they can explain how using the unmanned aircraft would be beneficial towards the public and not risk public safety.
Amazon said the drones are being tested by a team at its private outdoor research and development operations. The group includes scientists, roboticists, remote-sensing experts, aeronautical engineers and a former astronaut from NASA.
The company said it had plans to continue testing Prime Air at FAA's sites while it waits for permission to test them close to home, CNET reported. Amazon added that it will have weight restrictions and testing controls and conditions for the unmanned aircraft as part of safety precautions for tests on site.
