A defunct Boeing drone is now on display at the Air and Space Museum in full X-Wing regalia

The Smithsonian announced just before “May the Fourth” that it has added a Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle to its collection at the National Air and Space Museum. The drone, dressed up to look like a Star Wars X-Wing, was used to fly the first commercial operation of a “large eVTOL aircraft,” which took place at Disney World back in 2019.

The Boeing CAV brought fiction just a tad close to reality

Six years ago, what looked to be two X-Wings rose slowly over the cliffs of Disney World’s Galaxy’s Edge attraction on opening day. Being illuminated with giant blacklights, the only thing visible to bystanders was the ultraviolet paint on the X-Wing skeleton but what was actually flying were two Boeing drones in the first ever commercial operation of drones of its size.

This all started with the creation of Boeing NeXt, a devision of Boeing that focused on building innovated solutions for future aviation needs. In 2017, that was the start of large drones capable of carrying cargo in a final mile type of service.

Test flights began not that far into development with a smaller octocopter design before gaining four more rotors in its final configuration. To show off the drone’s capability, or at least the fact that it has a drone, Boeing partnered with Disney for the opening of the Star Wars theme world to bring the X-Wing fighter to life.

Coming in at 700 pounds, the 15 by 18 foot drone was designed to fly up to 500 pounds of cargo with a flight time of about five minutes. So yeah, it wasn’t going to be flying too far away from its home base but most early prototypes aren’t the perfect product. They’re just meant to work.

Sadly the CAVs wouldn’t get much more development after its 2019 debut.

For now, one of the historic drones has made it to where all retired aircraft dream of living out their days, at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Specifically the museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington’s Dulles Airport.

On display next to other iconic aircraft like the SR-71 Blackbird, Concorde, Enola Gay B-29, and Space Shuttle Discovery, it will be a rather awkward addition to the collection. But as a Star Wars nerd myself, it makes me excited for my next visit.

A program at the wrong time and wrong place

While the CAV was the first to do a commercial mission for a drone of its size, requiring a proper N-number registration from the FAA. It didn’t have a full life like other delivery drones have gotten in recent years.

Sometimes being the first is not always the best and sometimes being developed by Boeing also doesn’t mean it’s the best.

In 2020 two events forced Boeing to rework its resources moving into the next decade. First the Covid-19 pandemic and the groundings of its 737 MAX aircraft after several deadly accidents.

With Boeing’s need for refocusing its company and finances towards other ventures, the company shut down Boeing NeXt in 2020 and the movement of its employees to other parts of the company.

Now the delivery drone market has exploded with contenders from Wing to Zipline and more hoping to make its move as the first commercially successful drone delivery company. While Boeing’s drone might have been a bit too bulky and underpowered, someone had to be the first to get the ball rolling and it might as well also be a company that could afford to write it all off.