Merlin completes third certification stage for autonomous flight system

Merlin announced that it has completed the third Stage of Involvement (SOI 3) review for two components of its Merlin Pilot autonomous flight system – the Flight Control Computer and the Automated Communication System. The review was conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, with the US Federal Aviation Administration participating under a bilateral aviation safety agreement.

SOI 3 confirms that the software for both components has been tested and verified against the certification requirements established in earlier stages. Merlin also finalized an issue paper on the AI/ML‑based natural‑language processing used in the communication system, reaching agreement with the New Zealand authority on the evidence needed for regulator evaluation. The milestone follows SOI 1 (2023) and SOI 2 (October 2025) and moves the system closer to full certification, though final approval has not yet been granted.