Boeing has unveiled a prototype of a new unmanned, electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) cargo air vehicle (CAV) that is designed to transport a payload of up to 500 pounds.

Pete Kunz, Boeing HorizonX chief technologist, says the prototype is "a flying test bed that will be used to mature the technological building blocks of safe, reliable autonomous flight."

Boeing HorizonX, with its partners in Boeing Research & Technology, led the development of the CAV prototype, which complements an eVTOL passenger air vehicle prototype aircraft in development by Aurora Flight Sciences, a company acquired by Boeing late in 2017.

Greg Hyslop, Boeing's chief technology officer, said in less than three months, a team of engineers and technicians designed and built the CAV prototype, which successfully completed its initial flight tests at Boeing Research & Technology’s Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory in Missouri.

The CAV platform is all electric, Kunz points out, currently powered by Boeing-developed aviation batteries.

"As part of the test-bed approach, it can accommodate other means of providing electric power, including hybrid electric arrangements," Kunz says. "Engineers and researchers will use the CAV prototype to explore the development of new autonomous cargo vehicles for air transportation in different environments."

The CAV prototype is outfitted with eight counterrotating blades that allow for vertical flight. The CAV weighs 747 pounds and is 15 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 4 feet tall.

Kunz points out the technology being tested on the CAV prototype will open up new possibilities for delivering time-sensitive and high-value goods, conducting autonomous missions in remote or dangerous environments, and other cargo and logistics applications.

"This could include oil rig and ship resupply; port operations; [or] mining, construction, and logistics companies that move goods between distribution centers," he says. "In the defense space, there are clear logistical analogues to these commercial cases, getting the military what they need, when and where they need it, making the CAV a good example of dual-use technology."

Kunz says Boeing HorizonX is pursuing possible partnerships to develop aerospace vehicles incorporating autonomy technology tested on the CAV prototype.

"Regulation of UAVs, autonomous vehicles, and air space will pace adoption of these emerging technologies," he adds.

About the author: Alan M. Petrillo is a Tucson, Ariz., journalist who writes for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He's the author of several books on historical military firearms; two historical mysteries, Full Moon and Asylum Lane; and his latest historical thriller, A Case of Dom Perignon; all available at www.amazon.com.