US start-up Merlin Labs is eyeing civil applications for its AI-powered, defense-grade Merlin Pilot autonomous flight control system and says there is “no hard ceiling” for the size of aircraft its technology could eventually be installed on.
Describing fully uncrewed civil flight as “a very long game,” the developer’s initial approach to autonomy is very much “co-pilot first, not an empty cockpit,” Merlin’s chief technical officer, Tim Burns, tells Runway Girl Network.
On the civil side, the company is initially targeting regional cargo flights, firefighting and medical missions as well as agricultural flights on small turboprops, where it sees autonomy as having the ability to reduce the pilot’s workload and “solve a real problem.”
“These mission cases are typically flown single-pilot, are potentially high-risk, and put real pressure on cost and crew,” says Burns. “This is where having an AI Pilot in the cockpit with you really could make a difference.” In the near term, he adds, “this naturally maps to turboprops like the [Cessna] Caravan and [Beechcraft] King Air, but we see this all on a path to larger civil aircraft.”
As to the size of those aircraft, “from a technology standpoint, there’s no hard ceiling,” says Burns. “If we can interface with the aircraft, we can deploy the Merlin Pilot. The limiter isn’t tech, it’s certification and trust.”
Merlin went public earlier this month after completing a SPAC-backed (special purpose acquisition company) merger with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. IV. The Boston-based firm says the transaction provides it with more than $200 million to accelerate commercialization of AI-powered autonomous aviation. It is testing its technology on a Cessna Grand Caravan 208B in New Zealand and the USA as it works toward certification from those countries’ regulators.
The startup is also working with the US Air force and the US Special Operations Command to advance autonomous programs for military transport aircraft. Earlier this month, it announced it has completed the preliminary design review for its Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules program with USSOCOM, as part of a $105 million contract to support the development of a reduced-aircrew capability for that aircraft.
While it plans to begin its civil aviation journey with small cargo and firefighting flights, Merlin has its eye on a bigger prize: larger passenger aircraft, where it envisions “starting with reduced-crew operations, not removing pilots – initially,” says Burns.
“This starts very clearly as human pilot + Merlin Pilot,” he explains, with Merlin Pilot’s role being to take on navigation and communication functions, repetitive tasks and continuous monitoring. “Over time, that evolves to single pilot + autonomy. Fully uncrewed civil flight is a very long game. You don’t jump there, you earn it.”
So, does Burns believe that the traveling public will ever be comfortable with the idea of boarding a flight without pilots?
“If you ask people today whether they’d get on an aircraft with no pilot, most would say ‘no.’ That’s completely rational,” he admits. “However, aviation has never made step changes like that overnight. It builds trust incrementally.” For instance, he notes, autopilot, fly-by-wire and [Garmin’s] Autoland were all “questioned at first,” but are now standard.
“The same thing will happen here,” he asserts. “We start with the Merlin Pilot as a safety-enhancing system alongside the pilot, taking on workload, improving consistency and acting as a constant cross-check. Over time, as it proves itself in real operations, you move to reduced crew operations.
“Our job isn’t to sell the idea, but rather to build a system that earns trust the same way aviation always has — through discipline, data and real-world performance.”
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All images credited to Merlin Labs
