Merlin Shifts Civil Certification Strategy to Large Aircraft

09:21 AM EDT, 09/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Merlin (MRLN) said Wednesday it plans to refocus its civil certification strategy to bring autonomy to large aircraft through a phased approach. The company said it is withdrawing its small aircraft Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) application with New Zealand's civil aviation regulator, and will use the technical foundation and regulatory experience it gained from its small aircraft certification work for its large aircraft program. Merlin said New Zealand will continue to be its Pacific flight test and demonstration center. The strategy builds on its work integrating the Merlin Pilot into large, high-assurance aircraft, including the C-130J autonomy program with US Special Operations Command, with the same platform supporting its defense and civil programs, the company said. Merlin shares were down 2.4% in premarket activity Wednesday.