Merlin will teach you how to fly autonomously: the company integrates its pilot into the Northrop Grumman Beacon test platform

Merlin, a renowned developer of technologies for guaranteed autonomous control of fixed-wing aircraft, has announced an important partnership. It has entered into an agreement with the defense industry giant, Northrop Grumman, to integrate its Merlin Pilot system into the new Beacon testing ecosystem.

The Beacon system, introduced in June 2025, is not just another stand. This is a new generation open test environment created by Northrop Grumman to accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous technologies for aviation. Beacon provides partners such as Merlin with the opportunity to test, validate and refine their autonomous flight systems in conditions as close as possible to the real requirements of government and military customers.

The integration of Merlin Pilot into Beacon is a significant step forward. It allows Merlin to test its technology on an advanced platform, speeding up the path from concept to certification and practical application. For Northrop Grumman, this is an opportunity to fill its Beacon ecosystem with the best available solutions from leading developers, strengthening its position in the race for autonomous combat systems.

For the first time from the outside: What Northrop's Autonomous Beacon Test Aircraft looks like

Northrop Grumman has finally revealed its secret Beacon project in its entirety — not in a hangar or on diagrams, but directly outdoors. This is the first full-fledged look at what their flying "artificial intelligence laboratory" looks like.

The Beacon is not just a drone. This is part of a large ecosystem of tests created in order to accelerate the development of autonomous aircraft — those that can fly without a pilot or with him at will (these are called *optionally manned*).

The Model 437 Vanguard aircraft from Scaled Composites was used as a basis, a twin—engine machine that is already technologically advanced in itself. But Northrop has seriously redesigned it: they have implemented their own electronics, control systems, and, most importantly, artificial intelligence—based software that teaches the machine to make decisions in flight itself: maneuver, respond to threats, and set a route.

Imagine: a plane is flying, sees another car on the course, and decides for himself how to dodge. Or he gets a new task and rebuilds the mission on the go. This is exactly what is being tested on Beacon.

Now that the platform is shown from the outside, it becomes clear how close it is to real tests in the air. This is not a mock—up, but a working device that should pave the way for the future of aviation, where AI will not be an assistant, but a full-fledged "pilot".