Amazon has blasted federal regulators for being slow to . approve commercial drone testing - and warned the United States is . falling behind other countries in the potentially lucrative area . of unmanned aviation technology . Less than a week after the Federal Aviation Administration . gave Amazon.com the green light to test a delivery drone . outdoors , the company told U.S. lawmakers that the prototype . drone had already become obsolete while the company waited more . than six months for the agency 's permission . 'We do n't test it anymore . We 've moved on to more advanced . designs that we already are testing abroad , ' said Paul Misener , . Amazon.com 's vice president for global public policy . Scroll down for video . The company must supply monthly data to the regulators , and conduct flights at 400 feet ( 120 metres ) orbelow and in 'visual meteorological conditions , ' Amazon is developing aerial vehicles as part of Amazon Prime Air . The aircraft can travel at more than 50mph and carry loads of up to 5 pounds . About 86 percent of Amazon 's deliveries are 5 pounds or less , the company said . 'We believe customers will love it , and we are committed to making Prime Air available to customers worldwide as soon as we are permitted to do so , ' Amazon has said . 'Nowhere outside of the United States have we been required . to wait more than one or two months to begin testing , ' Misener . said in written testimony submitted to the Senate Subcommittee . on Aviation Operations , Safety and Security . Misener said Amazon had applied on Friday for permission to . test a more advanced drone system and now hopes for quicker . approval . The Amazon.com case illustrates the frustrations of many . companies and industry lobbyists , who say the U.S. regulatory . process is not keeping up with rapidly developing drone . technology that could generate new revenues and cost savings for . a range of industries . Misener , who was scheduled to join a witness panel at the . subcommittee hearing , said European and other international . authorities have more 'reasonable ' approaches that recognize the . potential economic benefits of commercial drone operations . 'This low level of government attention and slow pace are . inadequate , especially compared to the regulatory efforts in . other countries , ' Misener said . 'The ( FAA ) already has adequate statutory authority . What . the FAA needs is impetus , lest the United States fall further . behind , ' he added . Seattle-based Amazon.com , the largest e-commerce company in . the United States , wants to use drones to deliver packages to . its customers over distances of 10 miles ( 16 km ) or more , which . would require drones to travel autonomously while equipped with . technology to avoid collisions with other aircraft . The FAA recently proposed rules that would lift the current . ban on most commercial drone flights , but several restrictions . attached would make package delivery and other business . applications unfeasible . Among other constraints , the proposed rules would limit . commercial drones to an altitude of 500 feet ( 150 metres ) , allow . flights only during daytime and require operators to keep the . aircraft in sight at all times . The agency does not expect to finalize the rules until late . 2016 or early 2017 , according to government officials . During . this period , the current ban will stay in place ; companies can . apply for exemptions to use drones for specific business . applications . The FAA has been slow to grant exemptions , however , granting . only 48 of several hundred requests . The Republican-led subcommittee called the hearing to . examine the agency 's efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft . systems , or UAS , safely into U.S. airspace . Industry forecasters . say that drones would generate nearly $ 14 billion of U.S. economic activity in the first three years of integration and . $ 82 billion over a decade . Meanwhile , Australia , Canada , France and the United Kingdom . have progressed toward airspace integration and allow for . commercial use , the Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) said . in a report to the subcommittee . Australia has granted operating certificates to 185. businesses , while several European countries have granted . licenses to more than 1,000 operators , according to the report . While the GAO said overseas restrictions are similar to . those proposed by the FAA , it noted that France has begun to . allow beyond-line-of-sight operations on a limited basis . ( Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal Editing by . Soyoung Kim and Jonathan Oatis )
FAA gave Amazon green light to test a delivery drone outdoors last week . Firm says approved drone is already obsolete . New models are already being tested abroad by the firm .