Merlin Labs has successfully concluded the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for its autonomous flight system being developed for the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft operated by US Special Operations Command.
The review validated Merlin’s preliminary integration architecture and certification strategy for the demonstration phase, marking an important step toward deploying fully certifiable autonomous capabilities on the aircraft. Following the PDR, the program will now advance into the critical design stage, with the first flight of a modified C-130J planned later this year.
The work is part of a $104-million contract awarded in August 2024 that includes both preliminary and critical design reviews under a broader five-year development effort. The program is intended to deliver a production-ready aircraft with reduced aircrew requirements, increasing operational flexibility and safety for special operations missions.
After the Critical Design Review, the project will progress to system integration and ground testing, followed by a series of flight demonstrations covering the full mission cycle from takeoff through landing.
Merlin’s solution is based on an AI-driven autonomy stack designed to enable advanced autonomous flight capabilities and pave the way for deploying similar technologies across the wider special operations fixed-wing aircraft fleet.
