FAA Awards Contract for Automated Cargo Network Flight Trials in Alaska

The Merlin Pilot will be the first automated flight control system to secure NAS integration, and aims to reduce workloads amid the ongoing pilot shortage.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 05:02 PM ET

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The test flights outlined under Merlin’s FAA contract will travel along three routes originating from the Fairbanks, Alaska test site. [Courtesy: Merlin]

Key Takeaways:

Merlin Labs secured a $1 million FAA contract to demonstrate its "Merlin Pilot" automated flight control system, designed to reduce pilot workload and augment crews.
Initial flight trials will launch in Q2 2023 in Alaska, focusing on improving air cargo deliveries in remote areas with challenging terrain and weather conditions.
Merlin Pilot aims to combat the ongoing pilot shortage by enabling aircraft to operate with fewer human crew, as demonstrated in U.S. Air Force trials with single-pilot C-130s and a KC-46 refueling mission without a copilot.
The company's semi-autonomous strategy, which focuses on augmenting rather than fully removing pilots, offers a regulatory advantage for National Airspace System (NAS) integration compared to fully uncrewed systems.

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Less than a year removed from raising $105 million in fresh funding, Boston-based startup Merlin Labs is looking to shake up the aviation industry with renewed agency approval.

Having already secured partnerships with the U.S. Air Force, New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority and firms like Dynamic Aviation and Ameriflight, Merlin on Wednesday nabbed a $1 million contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to demonstrate Merlin Pilot, a highly automated flight control system designed to soften the workload of—and eventually remove—human pilots.