Walmart (NYSE: WMT) announced this morning it is partnering with Zipline to test delivery of health and wellness products via drone just days after announcing it would test drone-delivery of general merchandise with Flytrex. Calling it "a first-of-its-kind drone delivery operation in the U.S.," the retail giant says Zipline will trial its drone technology near Walmart's corporate headquarters in northwest Arkansas. The Flytrex pilot program is being tested in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Image source: Zipline. Taking to the skies The deep dive into drone delivery follows Amazon's announcement several weeks ago that it had received Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate a fleet of drones for Prime Air delivery service. Walmart says Zipline, which began service delivering medical supplies in war-torn Rwanda, has delivered over 200,000 medical products to healthcare facilities in numerous countries, and partnering with the retailer will enable the drone company to scale up its U.S. operations nationally. The test will begin early next year and if successful will expand to more areas. Walmart will also be looking to expand Zipline's capabilities to deliver general merchandise. Zipline's drones are catapulted into the air with a slingshot that will operate out of a Walmart store and service a 50-mile radius, which the retailer notes is about the size of the state of Connecticut. Most drone deliveries are measured in hundreds of feet to a mile or so. Packages are then parachuted to the ground for contactless delivery. Zipline began operations in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this year after partnering with hospital operator Novant Health to deliver PPE and medical supplies to frontline healthcare workers after receiving an emergency waiver from the FAA. 10 stocks we like better than Walmart Inc.When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Walmart Inc. wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of August 1, 2020 John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and recommends the following options: short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon and long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source