Boeing reveals CxR tiltrotor drone concept to team with Apache, Chinook

Boeing is advancing its vision for a new class of unmanned tiltrotor aircraft designed to operate alongside crewed platforms in attack, reconnaissance, and logistics roles. The concept, called CxR (Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft), was first revealed by Aviation Week, Breaking Defense, and The War Zone, which covered remarks from Boeing engineers during a media briefing ahead of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition, held October 13-15 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.  Boeing has not issued a formal press release, but engineers told reporters the aircraft is meant to be a high-speed, unmanned tiltrotor able to perform reconnaissance, strike, and transport missions. 

According to Breaking Defense, Chris Speights, chief engineer in Boeing’s Vertical Lift division, said the CxR remains in the conceptual design phase. The tiltrotor would use a single gas-turbine engine driving two tilting propellers and have a gross weight of roughly 5,000 to 7,000 pounds. It would be capable of carrying 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of payload — ranging from weapons and sensors to cargo — with a top speed between 200 and 250 knots.   Boeing envisions two primary versions: a combat configuration known as the Collaborative Combat Rotorcraft (CCR), designed to operate as a wingman to the AH-64 Apache, and a Collaborative Logistics Rotorcraft (ClR) that could support CH-47 Chinook operations. Both would share a common propulsion and flight control system but feature modular fuselages tailored for specific missions. 

Because the design is still in the early conceptual phase, Boeing is seeking feedback from the US Army to refine its requirements. Speights told reporters that operational analysis is underway and that early results suggest the concept meets the needs of a “family of systems” approach linking manned and unmanned aircraft. 

The CxR’s unveiling comes as the Army reshapes its rotorcraft modernization strategy under the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative. That effort aims to replace or augment current helicopters with next-generation aircraft offering greater range, speed, and digital connectivity. In 2024, the Army canceled its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program to redirect funding toward uncrewed systems and the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), now proceeding with Bell’s MV-75 tiltrotor. Boeing remains a key FVL contractor through its work on the CH-47F Chinook Block II upgrade and other vertical-lift programs. 

Aviation Week noted that Boeing’s move into the large unmanned VTOL market positions it alongside competitors such as Sikorsky, which recently unveiled its hybrid-electric Nomad family, and Shield AI, which plans to debut its own collaborative VTOL drone later this year. The race to dominate this segment reflects growing military interest in uncrewed systems that can match the speed and payload capacity of traditional rotorcraft. 

Boeing has not disclosed a development timeline for the CxR, but engineers are continuing design and performance studies within the company’s Vertical Lift division, which also oversees the H-47 Chinook and V-22 Osprey programs. The company has not yet indicated whether a flight demonstrator or prototype is planned. 

Aviation Week reported that Boeing is presenting the CxR as the largest US Army unmanned aircraft concept since the introduction of the General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle in 2011. That comparison underscores the scale of the project, which would mark a major shift in Army rotorcraft operations toward larger, long-range uncrewed systems. The post Boeing reveals CxR tiltrotor drone concept to team with Apache, Chinook appeared first on AeroTime.

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