Amazon unveils a new Prime Air drone it says will deliver packages 'within months'

Amazon unveiled its newest drone model built for package delivery at its Re:MARS conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The new model can fly up to 15 miles and deliver packages as heavy as five pounds. It takes off vertically, like a helicopter, but can then fly like an airplane once airborne, similar to a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.

The drone, which does not have a name, will be piloted autonomously using an array of sensors. Customers can expect their deliveries within 30 minutes, the company said.

“With the help of our world-class fulfillment and delivery network, we expect to scale Prime Air both quickly and efficiently, delivering packages via drone to customers within months,” Amazon's Jeff Wilke, Amazon's CEO of worldwide consumer, said in a blog post that accompanied the conference announcement.