The US Air Force has approved Merlin’s airworthiness plan for testing the Merlin Pilot autonomous flight system on the KC-135 Stratotanker.
This achievement “allows Merlin to progress towards aircraft integration, design completion, and testing operations,” the company stated in a press release.
It will also enable the evaluation of the scalability of the Merlin Pilot’s advanced AI capabilities for large transport aircraft.
Merlin will collaborate with Air Mobility Command and Air Force Materiel Command to conduct ground and flight testing in 2025, aiming to automate some of the tasks currently performed by the crew.
“Integrating the Merlin Pilot onto one of most important aircraft in the USAF’s fleet is crucial to advancing military aviation into a new era of pilot efficiency and national security,” said Matt George, CEO and founder of Merlin.
Merlin Pilot
Merlin Pilot is equipped with advanced sensor technologies that enable it to monitor the aircraft’s state and surrounding environment while guiding the flight and recommending trajectory adjustments.
The system also features a communication module powered by Natural Language Processing algorithms, allowing for verbal interaction with air traffic control “the same way a human pilot does,” the company claims.
Master Plan
The company has developed a Master Plan to integrate its systems across various aircraft and expand production capabilities.
The plan includes an intense testing phase to meet certification standards, enabling the automated pilot system to operate autonomously from take-off to landing.
Once the Merlin Pilot capabilities are optimized, the company plans to scale up military and civil transportation production.
In September, the firm launched the first flight test campaign for its self-piloting Cessna Caravan aircraft after integrating the glass cockpit with new sensors, a communication system, and advanced avionics.
Earlier this year, Merlin secured a $105 million contract to develop automated aircrew capabilities for the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft of the US Special Operations Command.