A US Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter has performed its first “fully automated approach and landing” using Boeing’s Approach-to-X technology.
Boeing’s A2X technology allows the aircraft to carry out automated tactical approaches in a manner consistent with pilot preferences.
A US Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter has recently performed its first “fully automated approach and landing” using Boeing’s Approach-to-X (A2X) technology.
During the flight test, the helicopter touched down with all four wheels on the runway using Boeing’s Digital Automated Flight Control System (DAFCS) software.
The manoeuvre was completed without any pilot interaction, Boeing stated.
The A2X software is designed to lower pilot workload and enable “automated tactical approaches” in line with pilot flight preferences, increasing operational capability and flexibility.
Boeing H-47 Human Factors Engineering lead Deanna DiBernardi said: “We built the interface and control laws around how pilots would naturally fly an approach. Our goal is to reduce pilot workload so crews can maintain more eyes-out awareness in a tactical situation.”
In operation, flight crews choose the landing zone, set the final altitude, either in the air or on the ground and define the approach angle and starting speed.
The system then guides the helicopter to the designated point, managing the necessary control actions. Pilots can intervene with manual inputs to adjust course or glide path if tactical conditions change.
Since its first installation on a CH-47F in January 2026, A2X has supported more than 150 approaches, with testing covering altitudes from a 30-metre hover to grounded landings. The average final position error recorded is less than 1.5 metres.
Further testing is scheduled to refine the software before its planned deployment across the Chinook fleet.
Boeing Cargo Programmes vice president and programme manager Heather McBryan said: “Improving DAFCS is just one of the ways we’re making the Chinook even more capable than it already is. The Army wants to add layers of optimally crewed capability quickly, and we’re working side by side with them to make those upgrades a reality.”
Separately, the US Army has signed a contract with Boeing for six additional CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters under the Lot 6 agreement, valued at $324m.
This follows earlier purchases in October last year for nine more CH-47F Block II Chinooks under Lot 4 and Lot 5 contracts.
Boeing’s CH-47F Block II helicopter features an enhanced drivetrain and airframe, adding more than 1,800kg to its maximum gross weight and increasing lift capacity.
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