U.S. Air Force To Test Single-Pilot C-130 Flight Crews

The U.S. Air Force has partnered with Merlin Labs to flight test a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules using an autonomous co-pilot.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, August 04, 2022 at 05:48 PM ET

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A HC-130J Combat King takes off from the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The Air Force is partnering with Merlin Labs to retrofit C-130J Hercules aircraft with autonomous flight technology, aiming to reduce the pilot crew from two to one.
This initiative is a strategic response to the widespread and severe pilot shortages currently impacting military, commercial, and corporate aviation.
Merlin Labs' technology provides advanced hardware and software for autonomous control, designed to interact with air traffic control like a human pilot, and has received initial certification basis approval.
Exploring autonomous operations is part of a broader defense effort to leverage new technologies for future operational readiness, as seen in other projects like pilotless Black Hawk flights and discussions about single-pilot tanker operations.

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Can a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) C-130J Hercules fly with just one pilot? It’s a scenario the U.S. Air Force is exploring through a new partnership with Merlin Labs, a Boston-based autonomous flight company that’s gearing up to test autonomous operations in the Air Force’s venerable cargo workhorse.

Under the collaboration, Merlin Labs will retrofit a C-130 with software and technology that will slim down the number of onboard crew, from two pilots to one. The C-130, built at Lockheed Martin’s factory in Marietta, Georgia, holds the record for the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft, according to the manufacturer. The Hercules first flew in 1954.