Boeing Completes First Test Flight Of Autonomous Air Vehicle

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Boeing’s NeXt division recently completed the first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle, which has a 50-mile (80.47-kilometer) range. The vehicle draws power from an electric propulsion system. (Photo courtesy of Boeing.)

As Boeing NeXt Vice President and General Manager Steve Nordlund aptly says, Boeing was “there when the aviation industry was born.” Similarly, in Boeing’s second century, Nordlund says the company “will unlock the potential of the urban air mobility market.” The company took a major step toward that goal on Jan. 22, when it completed the first flight test of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV), performing a controlled takeoff, hover, and landing that tested the PAV’s autonomous functions and ground control systems.

"What Revolution Looks Like"

Future test flights of Boeing’s eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle, designed by Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, will test forward, wing-born flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes, which Boeing says is considered “the most significant engineering challenge of any high-speed VTOL aircraft.”

Boeing’s PAV prototype is designed for fully autonomous flight. Using an electric propulsion system for power, the PAV has a 50-mile (80.5-kilometer) range. The vehicle measures 30 feet (9.4 meters) long and 28 feet (8.53 meters) wide. “This is what revolution looks like, and it's because of autonomy," says John Langford, Aurora Flight Sciences president and CEO. "Certifiable autonomy is going to make quiet, clean, and safe urban air mobility possible."

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Boeing’s subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences designed and developed the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) passenger air vehicle prototype that Boeing recently completed the first flight test for in Manassas, Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Boeing.)

What’s NeXt?

The recent flight test isn’t the first Boeing NeXt. Previously, the division completed the first indoor flight of its electric CAV (cargo air vehicle), which is designed to transport an up to 500-pound (226.8-kilogram) payload. Boeing plans to stage outdoor flight tests for the CAV this year. Besides electric and autonomous flight vehicles and technologies, Boeing manufacturers commercial aircraft and business jets.

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Source: Boeing

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