Critical Step In Certification By Civil Aviation Authority

Merlin, developer of autonomous flight technology for the defense sector, announced it has gained the Stage of Involvement 2 with the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, an important step in the DO-178 certification audit cycle that enables regulators to have progressive visibility into the company’s software development program.

The CAA has a four-step certification process that ensures the in-flight operability of safety-critical software and gives regulators confidence in the system’s design, execution, and final product. This accomplishment by Merlin is a significant advance toward final certification and comes on the heels of its recently announced plans to go public.

Merlin achieved SOI 1 in May 2023 to advance its Supplemental Type Certification (STC) program on its Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. Under the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement with the U.S., it is on a concurrent pathway to certification by the FAA.

SOI 2 is the point at which approximately 50 percent of the software data for the Flight Control Computer has been reviewed. It provides the CAA with useful insight of how Merlin is executing against plans approved during SOI 1, and also demonstrates the company’s commitment to sustaining the confidence of regulators through transparency and adherence to international standards of safety.

Tim Burns, Chief Technology Officer at Merlin said, “SOI 2 reflects the disciplined engineering and certification practices our team has put in place. Each stage of this process deepens regulator confidence, reduces program risk, and advances the Merlin Pilot toward certification and real-world operations. This milestone also highlights the close collaboration between our engineering teams and the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, whose partnership has been instrumental in shaping a robust and credible path to approval.”

FMI:  merlinlabs.com/