Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle

The Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle is an unmanned, autonomously flying, fully electric cargo aircraft built to research autonomy for future aerospace vehicles and to show how time-sensitive and high-value goods could be moved, or autonomous missions flown in remote or dangerous places. Fifty engineers designed and built it in less than three months, with investment from Boeing HorizonX Ventures. It began as a remote-controlled machine, made its first flight tests in 2017 and later flew autonomously, indoors in 2018 and outdoors by May 2019, including the transition to forward flight. Its configuration evolved to six dual-rotor systems with twelve propellers, it can carry up to 500 pounds of payload, and it measures about 17 feet 6 inches long with a wingspan of 20 feet. Boeing was reported to be closing its Boeing NeXt division in September 2020.