Merlin has been awarded a new task order valued at $8.9m to advance its C-130J autonomy programme with the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
The latest contract follows the completion of critical design milestones for the company’s autonomy system, known as Merlin Pilot, aimed at supporting future flight demonstrations on the C-130J Super Hercules fleet.
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In a 10 November release, Merlin stated that the new phase will prioritise system integration, ground test preparation, cybersecurity assessment, and airworthiness acceptance.
This stage will include tuning flight control laws, conducting human factors evaluations, testing for system failure behaviours, and running simulated flight test dry runs.
According to the company, these activities are intended to confirm system reliability and operational readiness prior to installing the autonomy package on the actual aircraft.
The company also confirmed that preparations for ground testing and eventual flight trials will involve the revision of test plans, development of verification matrices, safety assessments, and additional documentation for government review.
Progress in cybersecurity is set to be advanced with a specific focus on achieving an Interim Authorization to Test, while an updated airworthiness plan is being developed in support of anticipated flight demonstrations.
Merlin CEO and founder Matt George said: “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.
“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.”
Merlin’s C-130J autonomy development programme aims to lessen crew workload throughout every stage of flight.
Previous phases in the programme included the completion of a Preliminary Design Review and a Critical Design Review, completed in March and June 2026 respectively.
The current work will serve as groundwork for future flight demonstrations intended to evaluate reduced crew workload measures and the integration of autonomous systems into operational settings.
