OSHKOSH, Wis., July 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merlin, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRLN), an aerospace and defense technology company building the operating system of record for autonomous flight, today announced it successfully completed an autonomous landing at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with its Cessna 208B Grand Caravan equipped with the Merlin Pilot AI-powered autonomy platform. The autonomous landing occurred on Runway 27 at 10:02am CDT on July 17, 2026, at the 73rd annual event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where over 600,000 EAA members and aviation enthusiasts gather annually to celebrate the heritage and future of flight. The landing demonstrates how AI-powered autonomy is moving from research and experimentation toward operational deployment.
"For more than 70 years, Oshkosh has been where aviation introduces its next chapter," said Matt George, CEO and founder of Merlin. "Many members of our team first fell in love with aviation here, so returning to Oshkosh to complete what we believe is the first autonomous landing of a conventional fixed wing aircraft in EAA AirVenture history makes this milestone especially meaningful. We're incredibly grateful to the EAA air and ground crews, whose involvement made this achievement possible. It's a testament to how far autonomous flight has come and a reminder that the next chapter of aviation is being built by the same community that has always embraced what's next."
Merlin's autonomous landing builds on a year of significant technical and corporate milestones for the company, including its public listing on NASDAQ in March 2026. Earlier this year, Merlin completed the Critical Design Review for its C-130J autonomy program with U.S. Special Operations Command, validating the system's design readiness and advancing the program into aircraft integration activities, as well as unveiled its first product family for large, multi-crew aircraft, Condor. Together, these milestones represent Merlin's broader vision of delivering a single autonomy platform capable of supporting both defense and commercial aircraft from takeoff to touchdown.
At the show, Merlin’s aircraft will be on display at Booth #19 on James Ray Boulevard. Visitors can also experience Merlin Pilot in action through the company's interactive flight simulator.
About Merlin
Merlin is an aerospace and defense technology company building the operating system of record for autonomous flight. Through a first-principles approach, the company is redefining what’s possible across aviation, aerospace, and defense with the goal of delivering full-stack autonomy for any aircraft, military or civilian, from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles, proven through hundreds of autonomous flights from test facilities across the globe. With $100M+ total in IDIQ contract ceiling value under its C-130J autonomy program with USSOCOM, Merlin is advancing American leadership in autonomous aviation by helping to solve national security challenges through safe, reliable autonomy. To learn more, visit www.merlinlabs.com or follow us on X @merlinaero.
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A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ba7070d-a311-4b57-982a-dc7f77fb1e71