Pictured is the Model 437 aircraft (Scaled Composites Photo)
Boston-based Merlin said on July 30 that it is to integrate its Merlin Pilot autonomy software for Northrop Grumman‘s Beacon testbed project using the Scaled Composites Model 437 (M437) aircraft.
Merlin said that it “will provide engineering integration for software-in-the-loop testing and flight test operations, contribute to test procedure and documentation development, participate in recurring planning sessions, and deploy on-site personnel for flight tests in Mojave, Calif.”
Northrop Grumman announced the “sixth generation” Beacon software development endeavor.
Flight demonstrations are planned for this year.
Northrop Grumman said on July 30 that the full list of the companies participating thus far in Beacon include Shield AI, Merlin, Applied Intuition, Autonodyne, Red 6, and SoarTech.
In June last year, Merlin said that it had signed a $105 million contract from U.S. Special Operations Command to provide advanced automation for the Air Force C-130J airlifter by Lockheed Martin as a step toward such features for special operations forces (SOF) fixed wing aircraft over the next five years.
Merlin and the U.S. Air Force’s 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill AFB, Fla., have been testing the Merlin Pilot system to provide autonomy and automation for the KC-135 tanker to reduce aircrew and allow crew members to focus on critical mission tasks ahead of possible flight testing of an autonomous KC-135 this year.
Matt George, the CEO and founder of Merlin, said in a company statement on July 30 that the collaboration with Northrop Grumman “marks a major milestone in advancing mission autonomy—combining Merlin’s innovative software with the scale, rigor, and hardware expertise Northrop Grumman offers, which is needed for real-world deployment.”
A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.