industry
Merlin and IAI Explore Autonomous Tech for Cargo Aircraft
Autonomous aviation developer Merlin is teaming up with Israel Aerospace Industries to investigate artificial intelligence applications for commercial freight operations. The two aerospace firms recently signed a preliminary agreement to research regulatory hurdles, share engineering resources, and eventually select a heavy aircraft platform for future flight testing. While a specific airframe and timeline remain undetermined, the collaboration aims to eventually certify advanced automated systems for large transport category planes. For professional aviators, this partnership represents another steady step toward the industry goal of reduced-crew cargo flights.