What Happened
Autonomy Technology Company Expands Scope to Commercial Aviation
Merlin, an aerospace and defense technology company, has announced plans to pursue a civil certification strategy for large aircraft, marking a significant shift in its focus from small to large aircraft. The company will withdraw its small-aircraft STC application with the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand and apply the technical foundation and regulatory experience from that program to a new large-aircraft certification effort. Merlin’s work on integrating the Merlin Pilot onto large, high-assurance aircraft, including its C-130J autonomy program with U.S. Special Operations Command, will inform its civil certification efforts. This development was first reported by Unknown Source.