Seattle, April 20, 2026, 08:20 PDT
Boeing is touting enhanced features for its Chinook helicopter, from launching drone swarms to greater flight automation, as investors brace for this week’s earnings report and watch for signs of a real recovery across defense and commercial. Shares hovered near flat in early U.S. trading Monday, off roughly 0.4% to $222.49.
Timing is critical here. Boeing reports first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, April 22, with its commercial airplane division still key to generating cash after a run of safety troubles, production snags, and supply chain issues. The company’s also highlighting defense programs like the CH-47 Chinook, hoping those can pick up some of the slack while jet output climbs back.
Boeing is pushing ahead with plans to deploy “launched effects” from its Chinook helicopter, The War Zone reported last week. These small, uncrewed aircraft could scout, jam, decoy, or even strike, but so far, Boeing hasn’t tried launching them from the Chinook yet. Kathleen Jolivette, who heads Boeing’s Vertical Lift unit, said the company is backing the project with its own money and weighing how quickly it could move to a demo, hinging on demand from the U.S. Army and international buyers. The War Zone
Boeing is making some headway. On April 16, the company reported that a U.S. Army CH-47F pulled off a fully automated approach and landing in a flight test, relying entirely on Boeing’s Approach-to-X software—no pilot took over at touchdown. The next day, Boeing announced it had started integrating APAS, a flight-control upgrade compared to automotive lane-assist, into the Chinook assembly process. Heather McBryan, vice president for cargo programs, described the system as bringing “layers of supervised autonomy” to let pilots concentrate on other mission priorities. Boeing
The momentum behind the Block II Chinook is building. Boeing confirmed the U.S. Army has tacked on an order for six additional CH-47F Block II helicopters this month, under a $324 million deal; the total now sits at 24. McBryan pointed to consistent contract wins as a sign of the Army’s “confidence” in the Chinook’s ability to handle logistics and operations—even in contested zones. This tack brings Boeing head-to-head with Sikorsky, which is working on both optionally crewed and uncrewed Black Hawk models. Boeing
Still, the numbers for commercial aviation remain the key test. Boeing logged 143 commercial jet deliveries in the first quarter: 114 of those were 737s, with six 767s, eight 777s, and 15 787s rounding out the tally. That total nudged Boeing ahead of Airbus, which managed 114 deliveries for the quarter, according to Reuters. Engine shortages at Airbus played a role. Boeing’s pace did slow in March—46 jets handed over, down from 51 in February—after wiring fixes delayed around 25 737 MAX aircraft.
Boeing is sticking with tough targets. Back in March, Chief Financial Officer Jay Malave pushed back the timeline for the commercial airplanes unit to reach profitability—now eyeing 2027, a delay from earlier guidance. The company plans to ramp up 737 MAX output, moving from around 42 jets a month to 47 by mid-year, with a goal of handing over about 500 aircraft this year. Malave also wants to boost 787 production to 10 per month by the end of 2026, up from eight. But first-quarter Dreamliner deliveries slipped, blamed on delays with premium-seat certification.
The outcome’s uncertain. Aviation analyst Robert Mann told Reuters there’s no new aircraft technology that “justifies those costs” for a brand-new jetliner right now, indicating Boeing still needs to squeeze more out of its current lineup before it takes a swing at a fresh design. Still, according to Reuters, Boeing is hiring over 100 factory workers each week—enough to ramp up a fourth 737 production line near Seattle. Reuters
Boeing is pushing new defense capabilities, but so far, its messaging may be outpacing what it can actually deliver. The Chinook hasn’t yet launched drones in a live Boeing-run test, and certification is still pending for the 737-7, 737-10, and 777-9. Malave has flagged lingering pressure in the engine supply chain as another bottleneck. Right now, the company’s pitch to investors is that both its military advances and commercial production can progress in tandem. Investors should get a clearer sense from Wednesday’s results.
