Come January next year, Tanzania’s skies will be teeming with drones as the country launches the world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle delivery network, according to Reuters.

Following the success of a smaller project in nearby Rwanda, California-based robotics company Zipline expects to make 2 000 deliveries daily to more than 1 000 health facilities across Tanzania, to aid in the treatment of malaria and Aids patients, as well as women that are susceptible to profuse and typically life-threatening bleeding on giving birth.

The drones, which are able to fly at speeds of up to 100 km/hour, will drop small packages containing blood, vaccines and medication (and so on) from the sky, with a safe landing thanks to biodegradable parachutes.

The drones will also reduce drug delivery costs in the country’s capital Dodoma (one of the two regions where the project will initially be rolled out) by US$58 000 a year.