Merlin and IAI partner to bring AI-assisted autonomy to commercial cargo aircraft

Merlin and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have signed an agreement to jointly develop, integrate and certify AI-powered autonomous flight technology for commercial cargo aircraft, bringing together a leading autonomy developer in the aviation industry and a passenger-to-freighter conversion specialist.

The memorandum of understanding marks the start of a phased collaboration that will cover engineering, aircraft integration, regulatory preparation, platform selection and market evaluation.

The work is intended to establish a pathway towards civil certification for autonomous capabilities on large commercial cargo aircraft rather than develop a new aircraft from scratch.

The partnership also reflects growing efforts across the aviation sector to introduce artificial intelligence into the flight deck in a way that complements pilots while meeting the industry’s demanding certification requirements.

IAI’s P2F expertise gives Merlin access to one of the world’s largest cargo aircraft conversion markets

The agreement forms part of Condor, Merlin’s product family for large, multi-crew aircraft that is being developed around the company’s Merlin Pilot autonomy platform.

The system is designed to assist flight crews by managing aircraft systems, monitoring the operating environment and handling communications, allowing pilots to focus on decision-making during flight.

Rather than replacing pilots, the technology is intended to work alongside them within existing cockpit operations as certification progresses.

IAI brings decades of experience in aircraft engineering, certification, avionics, maintenance and passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions.

The Israeli aerospace company is one of the world’s leading conversion specialists, supplying freighter aircraft to operators including Amazon, DHL and Atlas Air while expanding its Boeing 777 conversion network to meet growing demand.

That capability makes IAI a strategic partner for Merlin, whose long-term objective is to integrate autonomous systems into aircraft already operating in the global cargo fleet.

Boaz Levy, Chairman of IAI, said the collaboration reflected the company’s long-standing focus on advancing aviation technologies.

“Throughout its history, IAI has consistently been at the forefront of aerospace innovation, developing technologies that shape the future of aviation. Our collaboration with Merlin reflects a shared commitment to advancing next-generation capabilities that can enhance safety, efficiency, and operational flexibility across the aviation industry,” he said.

He added that autonomy was expected to play an increasingly important role in aviation over the coming years.

Cargo aviation is emerging as the first pathway for certifiable autonomous flight technologies

Merlin’s initial focus on cargo aircraft reflects the structure of the global air freight market, where large numbers of passenger aircraft continue to be converted into dedicated freighters.

According to Boeing’s latest long-term cargo forecast, the worldwide fleet of large freighters is expected to increase from about 2,340 aircraft today to nearly 3,900 by 2043, with more than 2,800 new production and passenger-to-freighter conversion deliveries anticipated during that period.

Merlin believes those conversions provide an opportunity to integrate autonomous systems during aircraft modification programmes instead of retrofitting them later. The company has also pointed to continuing pilot shortages and sustained growth in global air cargo demand as factors encouraging operators to explore new operational technologies.

Matt George, Merlin’s founder and chief executive, said IAI’s position within the cargo aviation sector made it a natural partner for the programme.
“IAI sits at the centre of the global cargo aviation ecosystem, and its deep expertise in aircraft certification, advanced avionics, and freighter conversions makes it a critical partner as we advance the Condor program.”

He said the partnership, together with Merlin’s recently announced relationship with cargo aircraft lessor World Star Aviation, reflected growing industry confidence that AI-assisted autonomy could improve safety and operational efficiency while helping operators expand existing fleets.

Military experience and civil certification work are shaping Merlin’s commercial programme

The Condor programme builds on work Merlin has already undertaken in military aviation. The same Merlin Pilot autonomy core is currently progressing through military airworthiness evaluations on the Lockheed Martin C-130J under a contract with US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

Earlier this year, the programme completed its Preliminary Design Review, clearing another step towards aircraft integration and flight testing.

Merlin says experience gained through military certification is helping shape its approach for commercial transport aircraft, where regulatory approval remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges.

Yaacov Berkovitz, Executive Vice President and General Manager of IAI Aviation Group, said bringing autonomous technologies into commercial aviation would depend on more than advances in software.

“Autonomous technologies have the potential to become a significant part of the future aviation ecosystem, but their adoption will require far more than software innovation alone.”

He added that successful deployment would depend on integrating new technologies into certified aircraft while meeting aviation’s strict safety and regulatory standards.

Those requirements explain why the companies are initially concentrating on engineering integration, certification planning and aircraft selection before progressing towards a commercial agreement.While autonomous aviation has attracted considerable attention in recent years, much of the industry’s effort has centred on smaller uncrewed aircraft.

Merlin’s latest agreement with IAI instead targets one of commercial aviation’s most established sectors, using existing cargo aircraft as the platform for introducing progressively certifiable autonomous capabilities.