Merlin begins autonomous flight test campaign on KC-135
Merlin, a developer of autonomous flight technology for fixed-wing aircraft, has announced that together with its partner, global aerospace and defense leader SNC, it recently conducted the first three test flights in Merlin’s ongoing KC-135 Stratotanker test program at the Pittsburgh Air National Guard Base.
Starting July 22, Merlin and SNC were granted a temporary military flight release by the United States Air Force (USAF).
The team conducted real-time data collection and analysis to inform the Merlin Pilot’s integration design and flight control tuning for military aircraft.
The flights support an ongoing agreement with Air Mobility Command (AMC) and Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) to design, integrate, test, and demonstrate aspects of the Merlin Pilot on the KC-135.