Boeing said on Tuesday it had received orders for nine CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters from the U. Army via two contract awards worth $461 million.

The emerging class of autonomous aircraft is already being pursued by the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. But the Army aviation community’s interest in autonomous air vehicle technology has been limited to the Launched Effects programs, which intend to stockpile systems that function like multimission drones and munitions.