Merlin Labs Raises $105M, Partners with U.S. Air Force
July 13, 2022
Merlin Labs, which develops autonomous flight technology for fixed-wing aircraft, has announced it raised $105 million in Series B funding. The new funding brings its total raised to $130 million to date. The company also announced a partnership with the U.S. Air Force to bring autonomy to the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, the most-used cargo platform in the fleet.
The funding round was led by Snowpoint and Baillie Gifford, with major participation by existing investor GV. Since emerging from stealth mode last year, the company said it achieved several significant milestones in its goal to become the definitive autonomy system for legacy aircraft, validating its “crawl-walk-run” approach with regulators and partners.
In September 2021, the company announced it achieved approval of its certification basis for takeoff to touchdown autonomy system as part of a joint project with the Federal Aviation Administration and the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. Also last year, the company partner with Dynamic Aviation to bring autonomy to the world’s largest fleet of Beechcraft King Airs, and announced a partnership with Ameriflight, the largest Part 135 cargo airline in the U.S.
Merlin Labs said that mirroring its civilian applications, it will help the Air Force enhance safety and operational flexibility. The company’s advanced hardware and software allow for increased safety and the possibility of crew reductions in the face of a global shortage of pilots.
For more information on the company, visit the Merlin Labs website here.
