U.S. Air Force, Merlin Partner for KC-135 Autonomous Flight Demo

In-flight demonstrations will take place in the next year, starting with a series of basic air refueling operations, the company said.

Kimberly Johnson

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 11:36 AM ET

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A KC-135 Stratotanker [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force has partnered with Merlin to integrate and demonstrate the company's autonomous flight technology on the KC-135 Stratotanker.
The project aims to reduce aircrew workload during aerial refueling operations and eventually enable missions with reduced crew numbers and autonomous close formation flying.
This initiative is part of the Air Force's broader strategy to evolve advanced automation systems and explore reduced-crew operations for military aircraft, building on previous trials with other platforms.

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The U.S. Air Force has entered into an agreement with Merlin to demonstrate the company’s autonomous flight technology on the KC-135 Stratotanker, the company announced.

Under the deal announced Tuesday, Merlin will design, integrate, test, and demonstrate aspects of its Merlin Pilot autonomous flight technology on the aerial refueling tanker. In-flight demonstrations will take place in the next year, starting with a series of basic air refueling operations that reduce aircrew workload and eventually proceeding to operations with reduced crew numbers, according to the company.