Merlin introduces Condor autonomous software for large commercial aircraft

Merlin has launched its new product line called Condor, a variant of the Merlin Pilot autonomous flight software, designed for large commercial aircraft. Merlin is preparing to deploy Condor in the air cargo sector after signing a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with freighter lessor World Star Aviation, Merlin Chief Executive Matt George said during its first-quarter earnings call today. It was the first earnings report since Merlin went public in March. [caption id="attachment_57297105" align="aligncenter" width="1183"] Merlin is conducting tests with C208Bs in the United States and New Zealand. (Courtesy/Merlin)[/caption] The MoU is the first step toward a definitive agreement with World Star to advance Condor within the freighter industry, which is experiencing pilot shortages and rising crew costs, driving demand for autonomous solutions, George said. Condor will introduce Merlin Pilot to customers operating large, multicrew aircraft in the civilian and military sectors. The autonomous software will work alongside human pilots in the cockpit to enhance safety and maximize operational performance, while reducing crew workload, according to Merlin. “For 100 years, aviation has been built, fundamentally, around human crews,” George said. “We believe its next 100 years will be built around autonomy.” Merlin accelerated the development and deployment of Condor for the C130J large military transport aircraft as part of a contract with the United States Special Operations Command, he said. The Special Command is Merlin’s largest military customer, with a contract worth as much as $105 million and spurred the company to expand its Condor program with other large military aircraft types. Fully automated takeoff Merlin completed two milestones in the autonomous software certification process in April, with Merlin Pilot completing fully automated takeoffs in New Zealand and the United States, the company said during the call. One of Merlin’s Cessna 208B prototypes (208B1023) departed North Kingstown, R.I. (NCO), on April 11, completing two flights that day, while another prototype (208B1125) flew out of Napier, New Zealand (NPE), on April 20. The company said it hopes to become the first certified, fully automated takeoff-to-touchdown flight software on a fixed-wing aircraft after obtaining its experimental certificate of airworthiness approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAANZ) and its technical standard order approval for its analog remote data concentrator system from the FAA in 2025. The company continues through the certification phases with CAANZ while working in conjunction with the FAA, George said during the call. It also recently has completed the SOI 1 and SOI 2 reviews of its autonomous flight software. The SOI 1 phase evaluates the plans and strategy for implementing, verifying, monitoring and maintaining quality assurance and safety of the autonomous software, while SOI 2 reviews the actual performance of Merlin Pilot and its capability to meet the established FAA requirements. Merlin recently signed an agreement with United Arab Emirates-based defense contractor Remah International Group to expand use of its autonomous flight software across the Middle East. The developer declined to comment on its deal with Remah. Earnings Merlin closed an equity financing deal led by a company shareholder on May 1, increasing its available funds to $183 million with no debt outstanding, it said during the call. The shareholder acquired 8 million shares of Merlin’s common stock at $10 per share, according to an April 29 8-K filing. Merlin reported that it had $122.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of March 31, compared with $59.3 million as of Dec. 31, 2025. The developer also reported for Q1: Total revenue of $1 million, up 11.11% year over year; A net loss of $90 million, compared with $12.7 million in Q1 2025; and An adjusted EBITDA loss of $23.3 million, compared with $10.4 million in Q1 2025. Shares of Merlin [Nasdaq: MRLN] were trading at $7.06 at market close today, down 7.3% from market open. Merlin has a market capitalization of $657 million.

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