A new, 19-month contract expands on Merlin’s existing work with the U.S. Air Force to automate the controls on the KC-135 Stratotanker. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]
Key Takeaways:
The U.S. Air Force is collaborating with Merlin Labs on a 19-month contract to develop self-flying tanker technology for missions like aerial refueling, humanitarian air drops, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
This initiative aims to significantly reduce pilot workload, enable dynamic mission re-planning without human intervention, and eventually lead to extended-crew or fully uncrewed operations for the KC-135 Stratotanker and other aircraft.
Merlin's "Merlin Pilot" system, a platform-agnostic flight autonomy solution integrating AI and natural language processing, is also being applied to other military aircraft like the C-130J and is undergoing FAA certification testing for broader aviation use.
The U.S. Air Force is exploring the use of self-flying tankers for aerial refueling and other missions under a new contract.
Boston-based Merlin Labs is the beneficiary of the 19-month, undisclosed value contract—first reported by FLYING—that aims to give current and future American tankers the ability to adapt missions on the fly without human intervention.
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
