Built by German manufacturer Wingcopter and known as the Parcelcopter 4.0, the new tilt-rotor drone can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, but also transition to faster and more energy-efficient fixed-wing flight while en route. It can carry up to 6 kg (13 lb) of cargo in an insulated compartment, flying autonomously at a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) for a maximum distance of 100 km (62 miles) per charge of its battery pack – 45 km (28 miles) if it's carrying a full load.

In the recent six-month Deliver Future project, Parcelcopter and DHL teamed up the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (a sustainable development group), using one of the 4.0's to deliver medication from a central warehouse in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania to a hospital on Ukerewe Island in Lake Victoria. The district around the island is home to about 400,000 people.