Merlin awarded $8.9 million task order to advance USSOCOM C-130J autonomy programme from design into integration

Merlin, Inc., an aerospace and defence technology company building the operating system of record for autonomous flight, today announced it was awarded a new task order worth $8.9 million for the next phase of its C-130J autonomy programme with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Following the completion of its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR), Merlin is now executing on its next task order, which includes system integration, ground test preparation, cybersecurity approval, and airworthiness acceptance to support future flight demonstrations.

"This task order brings us closer to demonstrating how Merlin Pilot can reduce the demands on C-130J aircrews and expand the operational capacity of the aircraft," said Matt George, CEO and Founder, Merlin. "As government demand for autonomy grows, the priority is delivering capabilities that can be integrated into existing fleets and trusted in demanding operational environments. This next phase puts our design to the test, validating how the system performs, how crews interact with it, and how it responds in off-nominal conditions. Through our work with USSOCOM, we're building a path from autonomy development to practical mission capability, giving aircrews greater support and commanders more flexibility in how they employ their aircraft."

Merlin's C-130J autonomy development programme is designed to potentially reduce crew workload across all phases of flight. This next task order advances system integration and validation through flight control law tuning, human factors evaluations, failure mode testing, and simulated flight-test dry runs to verify system behavior and readiness before aircraft installation. It also includes updating test plans, procedures, verification matrices, and safety assessments for Government review ahead of ground testing; advancing the cybersecurity assessment and documentation required for an Interim Authorization to Test (IATT); and delivering an updated airworthiness plan to support flight test demonstrations. The completion of these milestones moves the programme closer to demonstrating those capabilities on the C-130J aircraft.