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 has contracted Merlin Labs to develop self-flying capabilities for aerial refueling tankers and other missions, including humanitarian air drops and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR).
This initiative aims to integrate automated flight re-planning and AI-driven mission autonomy into aircraft like the KC-135, allowing pilots to focus on core objectives, enabling extended-crew operations, and eventually leading to fully uncrewed flights.
Merlin Labs' platform-agnostic "Merlin Pilot" system, featuring dynamic retasking and natural language processing for communication, is currently undergoing development and certification processes for potential widespread integration across the USAF fleet.
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.
