Boeing has revealed its latest innovation in unmanned aircraft: the Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft (CxR) family of drones, designed to operate alongside manned helicopters like the AH-64E Apache.
Unveiled at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA), the CxR is a fully autonomous, modular tiltrotor drone designed for multiple roles, including attack, reconnaissance, and collaborative operations. The company also plans a logistics variant, the Collaborative Logistics Rotorcraft (CLR), intended for rapid cargo transport and resupply in contested environments.
Weighing between 2,270 and 3,175 kg and powered by a turboshaft engine driving two tilting rotors, the CxR can reach speeds of between 370 and 460 km/h. Its tiltrotor configuration, inspired by Boeing’s experience with the V-22 Osprey, provides high maneuverability, low-level flight capability, and sufficient range to accompany manned helicopters on critical missions. The modular design allows for different payloads, ranging from weapons and sensors to smaller, launchable drones, known as “launched effects” (LE), capable of performing attack, reconnaissance, and remote interference missions.
The CLR logistics version uses the same modular core as the CxR but replaces the cargo area with a fuselage adapted to transport medium and heavy supplies, which can be quickly loaded onto C-130 Hercules aircraft and reconfigured in the field. Both models were designed with a focus on expeditionary operations, ensuring flexibility and rapid deployment even in complex combat scenarios.
The CxR is intended to function as a “loyal wingman” for manned helicopters, integrating with the Apache’s open mission systems architecture (MOSA) and leveraging capabilities from the Manned-Unmanned Teaming-Extended (MUMT-X) program, which allows for simultaneous control of multiple drones. In addition to complementing the Apache, the CxR is expected to work alongside future Army platforms, such as the MV-75 assault tiltrotor.
Boeing believes that this collaborative, low-cost, and modular approach will help enhance the survivability and effectiveness of combat helicopters in future scenarios and long-range operations.
Source: The War Zone / The Aviationist | Photo: X @BoeingDefense | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
Meet our Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft — also known as CxR.
CxR is a modular, unmanned, autonomous tiltrotor concept that can act as a loyal wingman and serve a vast range of current and future military missions.
See how: https://t.co/Oa9RTdZdus #AUSA2025
Shown 📹:… pic.twitter.com/5f1Io2S890
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) October 14, 2025
