The US FAA has awarded startup Merlin a $1 million contract to demonstrate its Pilot automated flight control system.
The US FAA has awarded startup Merlin a $1 million contract to demonstrate its Pilot automated flight control system. Before July of this year, the FAA, Everts Air Cargo, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks UAS Test Site will collaborate to conduct the autonomous flights trials. When they do, according to Merlin, it will be the nation’s National Airspace System‘s first integration of an autonomous flight system.
In order for its Superpilot system to be used to pilot unmanned commercial cargo aircraft in the USA, Xwing announced earlier this week that it had begun the certification process with the FAA.
With a fleet of 34 modified Cessna Caravans, it also intends to begin operating autonomous cargo flights in the US in the upcoming months. Merlin announced partnerships with the FAA, the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority, and the US Air Force as well as a $105 million Series B financing last year.
The terrain and bad weather in Alaska can present difficulties for even the most skilled pilots, according to Cathy Cahill, director of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) at the UAF Geophysical Institute. Yet for essential items like milk, mail, and medicine, remote communities depend on air cargo deliveries.
This programme will assist thousands of people living in remote areas of our state to obtain the supplies they need to sustain life, and it’s exciting that the development of new technologies can lead to greater equity and access across our communities.
“Working with Merlin on these flight trials benefits our residents and provides data with each flight that will create not only a safer airspace in Alaska but technology that is applicable worldwide.”
To serve remote cargo destinations, Merlin intends to use crewed aircraft enhanced with its Merlin Pilot integrated hardware and software solution. Safety pilots will keep an eye on the experimental flight control system during the initial testing phase.
During the trials, three test routes that all depart from the UAS Alaska test site will travel to five locations: Fort Yukon, Galena, Prudhoe Bay, Huslia, and Tanana.
The Merlin Pilot is being developed to make the skies safer and more accessible, according to Matthew George, co-founder and CEO of Merlin. The fact that this work will also meet a practical need in Alaskan communities is rewarding. These initial flight trials are crucial to developing our in-flight capabilities.
“So far, we have flown hundreds of missions using our Merlin Pilot from our specialised flight test facility in Mojave, California, on five different types of aircraft. We’re excited that the Merlin Pilot will soon be learning in a complex, real-world setting along with the FAA and our operating partner Everts Air Cargo.
Merlin was established in 2018 and has offices in Boston, Los Angeles, Denver, Mojave, and Kerikeri, New Zealand, in addition to its Boston headquarters.