속보 • Jun 07
Merlin Advances C-130J Autonomy Program and Sees Over 29% Stock Surge Merlin completed the Critical Design Review for its C-130J autonomy program with U.S. Special Operations Command, confirming the design is ready to move into aircraft integration and testing.
The program advances under a $105m-plus IDIQ contract that could extend to other Department of Defense platforms and potentially to commercial aviation.
Merlin’s stock moved sharply higher around the announcement, with pre- and post-market gains above 29%, and some analysts cited early revenue visibility from large military contracts and the broader aviation autonomy market.
The key takeaway is that Merlin has cleared a major technical and contractual hurdle. This moves its AI autonomy stack closer to real-world deployment on large military aircraft under an existing IDIQ framework.
Investors should keep in mind that while the milestone and stock reaction signal strong interest, future program phases, test outcomes and the pace of any expansion across platforms or into commercial use remain important sources of execution risk. 공시 • May 17
Merlin Inc Announces Merlin Pilot for Commercial Cargo Merlin, Inc. announced Merlin Pilot for Commercial Cargo, which aims to bring its aircraft-agnostic AI-powered autonomy core to commercial transport, starting with cargo aircraft. Merlin Pilot for Commercial Cargo is part of Condor, Merlin’s new product family for large, multi-crew aircraft, which would apply the Merlin Pilot autonomy core across both civil and military platforms, from Part 25 aircraft to military transports such as the C-130J. Condor is the first product family Merlin is planning to bring to market utilizing the Merlin Pilot platform. Merlin is working to bring next-generation technology to civil cargo as the global air freight market continues to expand. According to Boeing, the fleet of large cargo aircraft is projected to grow from roughly 2,340 today to nearly 3,900 over the next two decades, with more than 2,800 production and conversion deliveries forecasted. At the same time, cargo operators are looking beyond the traditional scale-restricted operating model where a number of pilots per aircraft manage all in-flight tasks and decision making. The industry’s growing interest in autonomy reflects an evolution toward broader thinking about how aircraft are designed, operated, and scaled to meet demand over the long term. Merlin Pilot works alongside pilots in real-time to extend crew capabilities and scale operations beyond the limits of the traditional model. Integrating into existing and new cargo aircraft, Merlin Pilot is designed to provide operators a practical pathway to autonomy. From takeoff to touchdown, Merlin Pilot is being built to manage systems, monitor the environment, and handle communications, allowing flight crews to focus where human judgment matters most. Merlin believes bringing these capabilities to commercial cargo operations will enhance both safety and operational performance. The Merlin Pilot system has already logged hundreds of flights across multiple aircraft platforms, providing a strong foundation for its ongoing civil certification path. The same system is being tested under contract with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), where it is advancing through a rigorous airworthiness process on the C-130J. The program achieved its latest milestone in March 2026 when Merlin successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR), advancing efforts toward eventual integration and flight testing. Merlin is already collaborating with World Star Aviation, a freighter lessor, and is developing additional relationships with key players in the commercial cargo conversion market. Together, these collaborations have the potential to establish a framework for integrating Merlin Pilot into the converted commercial cargo airframes that the global cargo market actually flies. 공시 • May 08
Merlin, Inc. to Report Q1, 2026 Results on May 14, 2026 Merlin, Inc. announced that they will report Q1, 2026 results at 9:30 AM, US Eastern Standard Time on May 14, 2026 공시 • Apr 30
Merlin, Inc. announced that it expects to receive $80 million in funding from Alyeska Investment Group, L.P. Merlin, Inc. announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “ Purchase Agreement ”) with the purchaser named therein Alyeska Master Fund, L.P. to issue 8,000,000 shares at an issue price of $10 per share for gross proceeds of $80,000,000 and 4,000,000 warrants on April 29, 2026. The Company intends to close the Private Placement and issue the Securities on May 1, 2026. The Private Placement is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and in reliance on similar exemptions under applicable state laws. The Purchaser represented that it is an accredited investor within the meaning of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D and is acquiring the Securities and Underlying Shares as principal for its own account and not with a view to or for distributing or reselling the Securities and Underlying Shares. 공시 • Apr 14
Merlin, Inc. Appoints Mark Brunner as Chief Revenue Officer Merlin, Inc. announced the appointment of Mark Brunner as Chief Revenue Officer. Brunner will lead global revenue strategy and growth initiatives as the company scales the Merlin Pilot across defense and civil aviation programs, playing a critical role as Merlin enters its next chapter as a publicly traded company. Brunner is an industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience spanning military service, defense policy, and business development at the intersection of government and advanced technology. He brings a deep understanding of how innovation moves from emerging capability to scaled adoption, with a proven track record driving strategy, government relations, growth, and business development across the national security and technology sectors. Prior to joining Merlin, he led public sector growth initiatives at PsiQuantum and served as President of Public Sector at Primer AI, where he built and expanded the company’s government business around large language model technology. Earlier in his career, he advised leading defense and technology companies on market strategy at The Cohen Group and spent six years as Senior Advisor to U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, shaping defense and technology policy initiatives. He also served 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a pilot, bringing operational experience that informs his approach to scaling mission-critical technologies. 