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Air Force

Autonomous KC-135 Flight Testing May Begin Next Year

Frank Wolfe

Tuesday, November 12th, 2024

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Autonomous KC-135 Flight Testing May Begin Next Year

The U.S. Air Force and Merlin Labs may begin autonomous KC-135 flight testing next year, the company said (Merlin Photo)

Flight testing of an autonomous KC-135 Stratotanker may begin next year. Boston’s Merlin Labs, Inc. and the U.S. Air Force’s 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill AFB, Fla., have been testing the Merlin Pilot system to provide autonomy and automation for the KC-135 tanker to reduce aircrew and allow crew members to focus on critical mission tasks (Defense Daily, May 30). In February, Merlin said that it had signed a multi-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Air Mobility Command (AMC) and Air…

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