The expansion would make San Diego one of the latest markets targeted for Wing's rapidly growing drone delivery network, which already serves customers in parts of Texas, Georgia, Arkansas and North Carolina. Walmart and Wing say they ultimately hope to operate from more than 270 Walmart stores nationwide by 2027.
While the companies have not announced a specific launch date for San Diego, officials say they plan to work with local leaders and community stakeholders before bringing the service to the region.
Wing's autonomous drones can travel at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and lower packages directly to homes using a tether system. The service is designed to deliver smaller items weighing up to five pounds, with delivery times often measured in minutes rather than hours.
According to Walmart, customers currently use the service to order everything from groceries and over-the-counter medications to household supplies, pet products and electronics accessories.
The San Diego expansion is part of a broader rollout that also includes Phoenix, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Memphis, Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Our work with Walmart has shown that drone delivery isn't just a novelty, it's a service many customers count on multiple times per week," Wing Chief Business Officer Heather Rivera said in a statement announcing the expansion.
The announcement comes as retailers continue racing to shorten delivery times and compete for increasingly convenience-focused consumers. Walmart says it recently completed its one-millionth drone delivery, with more than 40 percent of those deliveries occurring during the most recent quarter alone.
Exactly where drone deliveries may operate in San Diego remains unclear. The companies have not identified which Walmart locations could participate or what neighborhoods might initially be eligible. Any rollout would likely require coordination with federal regulators and local officials, particularly given San Diego's complex airspace environment, military presence, airports and densely populated neighborhoods.
San Diego residents may also remember a previous drone-delivery announcement that never fully materialized. In 2019, Uber selected San Diego as one of several cities slated to participate in its highly publicized Uber Elevate food delivery pilot program, which included plans involving Little Italy's Juniper & Ivy and an area McDonald's restaurant. While the project generated significant attention at the time, drone food delivery never became a public reality in San Diego and Uber ultimately sold the Elevate division in 2020.
Unlike Uber's largely experimental effort, however, Walmart and Wing already operate commercial drone delivery networks in multiple major U.S. markets and continue expanding operations.
For now, Walmart's announcement signals that San Diego remains on the company's radar as part of the next phase of drone delivery growth. Whether residents will actually see groceries descending into their backyards remains to be seen, but the retailer says it hopes to begin service in the newly announced markets by 2027.
If that timeline holds, the future of shopping in San Diego could soon include a new sound overhead: the buzz of a drone carrying someone's last-minute carton of eggs, phone charger or gallon of milk.
Originally published on June 9, 2026.
