May the Fourth Be With You: Star Wars at the National Air and Space Museum

May the Fourth Be With You: Star Wars at the National Air and Space Museum

An X-wing That Can Actually Fly

X-Wing; Boeing CV2 Cargo Air Vehicle (CAV) (A20240204000) on display n the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. May 3, 2024. (Smithsonian photo by Mark Avino). [20240503.MA.019] [NASM2024-03611]


A new Star Wars artifact recently joined the Museum’s collection and went on display this week. It’s an X-wing — and it can actually fly!

In 2019, science fiction became science reality when Walt Disney World Resort opened its new Star Wars-themed land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, by flying two X-wings over the park. What may not have been obvious to onlookers on the ground is that these X-wings were in fact Boeing CV2 Cargo Air Vehicles (CAV), large remotely-piloted aircraft mounted with X-wing “body shells.” Ultraviolet spotlights illuminated the drones so that only the X-wing frame was visible.

Star Wars | National Air and Space Museum (si.edu)


Visitors can see the X-wing cargo drone on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

The X-wing themed CAV is a gift from Boeing and Walt Disney Imagineering R&D.

Visitors can see the X-wing cargo drone on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

The X-wing themed CAV is a gift from Boeing and Walt Disney Imagineering R&D.