Boeing prepared to go fast on CxR uncrewed tiltrotor concept

First unveiled at AUSA in October, Boeing’s autonomous tiltrotor – the Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft (also known as ‘CxR’) – is the latest concept from the US manufacturer to move another step closer to meeting future military requirements.

Speaking to Shephard about the work on this conceptual design, Chris Speights, chief engineer for vertical lift at Boeing, said that the manufacturer had leveraged its experience on the V-22 Osprey twin-engine platform to come up with the updated tiltrotor design for CxR.

“We’ve really simplified the design for this scale, around single propulsion, centralised, simple drive shaft and gearbox configurations. It also has the interesting effect of creating very good manoeuvrability, because your moment of inertia is centralised to your fuselage,” he said.

Related Articles

AUSA 2025: Boeing and Leonardo partner to pursue US Army rotary training contract

The modular, uncrewed rotorcraft is currently in the conceptual design phase of its development and is envisioned to operate alongside and support crewed platforms like the AH-64E Apache and CH-47 Chinook.

With a modular core at the heart of the design, the CxR is conceptualised to meet various mission sets, Speights added, from reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) to attack, logistics and maritime.

Boeing’s initial plans are for two variants of this uncrewed rotorcraft: one for logistics missions (CLR) and one for attack (CCR), while also acting as a possible mothership for launched effects.

The concept showcases a single gas-fuelled turboshaft engine that powers two propellers – envisioned as a Group 5 uncrewed aerial system (UAS). The payload for the concept is around a maximum of 2,000lbs, with operating payloads between 700 to 1,000lbs, Speights added.

Designed to meet an evolving threat environment

As for future iterations, Speights said that Boeing could eventually look at developing other variants outside of the CLR and CCR, with the common core leveraged to reduce development costs, noting that the ‘x’ in CxR referred to an overall “family” of potential platforms – such as maritime or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

“There will be one aircraft that flies first, and we will pick one of those missions to fly, but...the modular concept is based around the fact that the threats, the environment and the missions are evolving so rapidly that you cannot lock yourself into one platform configuration for 20-plus years,” Speights said.

“We’re leaving space open depending on where the configuration and customer requirements might go,” he added.

While Speights did not commit to a specific timeline on the CxR moving from concept to development, he added that Boeing was “prepared to go as fast as our customers need”, while refining the requirements and configuration of the CxR.

At AUSA, the concept was presented as tailored to meet US Army future vertical lift requirements. In May, the US Army highlighted the growing need for autonomous systems via its Army Transformation initiative.

Speights added that the conceptual design had gained positive feedback from both domestic and international customers.

“Any customer that flies Apaches would be keenly interested in how we’re able to integrate this,” Speights said.

Alongside the US Army, Shephard Defence Insight believes that the UK, as a current customer of Apache AH-64E, could be one such future customer.

In August 2025, an event notice from the UK Ministry of Defence and the British Army sought to hold workshops for its Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (LACP) programme – namely, finding a loyal wingman to pair with its Apache AH-64E helicopters.

Shephard Defence Insight forecasts for any potential loyal wingman programme for the Apache that 50 UAVs may be acquired in 2026 – one for every platform – for an estimated US$205 million.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (LACP) (Project NYX) [UK]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft (CxR)