Merlin Expands Flight Operations with Move to North Central State Airport

The ew Smithfield, Rhode Isla d facility p ovides additio al ha ga capacity fo Me li ’s expa di g fleet, i cludi g the additio of a Beechc aft Ki g Ai a d L-39 Albat os, a d flight test p og am

BOSTON, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Me li , I c. (NASDAQ: MRLN), a ae ospace a d defe se tech ology compa y buildi g the ope ati g system of eco d fo auto omous flight, today a ou ced that it has moved its U.S. flight ope atio s to No th Ce t al State Ai po t i Smithfield, Rhode Isla d. The move p ovides the additio al ha ga capacity a d ope atio al flexibility eeded to suppo t Me li ’s expa di g ai c aft fleet a d g owi g flight testi g equi eme ts. As pa t of the t a sitio to No th Ce t al, the compa y has co cluded its flight ope atio s at Quo set State Ai po t.

Me li ’s expa di g fleet i cludes a Beechc aft Ki g Ai , which was fi st flow by the Me li Pilot this mo th, as well as a L-39 Albat os, the compa y’s fi st ow ed jet ai c aft. The L-39 ep ese ts a impo ta t oppo tu ity to exte d the Me li Pilot auto omy platfo m towa d tactical missio p ofiles a d othe high pe fo ma ce milita y missio s. Togethe with Me li ’s wo k o the Cess a 208 Ca ava a d Lockheed Ma ti C-130J Supe He cules, these platfo m i teg atio s give the compa y a ep ese tative a ge of ai f ames spa i g si gle- a d twi -e gi e platfo ms, a milita y t a spo t ai c aft, a d a jet. This b eadth e ables Me li to matu e a ve satile auto omy platfo m ac oss ai c aft types a d missio s its custome s ope ate eve y day.

“Flight testi g is ce t al to eve ythi g we do, a d ou i f ast uctu e eeds to g ow alo gside ou tech ology a d ai c aft fleet,” said Matt Geo ge, CEO a d fou de of Me li . “No th Ce t al State Ai po t gives us the space a d ope atio al flexibility we eed fo ou evolvi g flight test p og ams, while b i gi g these c itical ope atio s close to ou Bosto headqua te s a d g owi g team. This move eflects the mome tum Me li has built a d ou co ti ued i vestme t i the egio .”

Me li ’s b oade visio is to help establish the g eate Bosto a ea as a hub fo aviatio auto omy. Expa di g the egio ’s ha ga , flight testi g, a d ope atio al capacity is c itical to buildi g that ecosystem a d adva ci g the ext ge e atio of auto omous ai c aft. The compa y’s g owi g egio al p ese ce is also expected to suppo t co ti ued job c eatio a d p ovide access to the No theast’s deep pool of ae ospace, e gi ee i g, a d tech ology tale t. That tale t base will be esse tial as Me li expa ds its team a d develops i c easi gly sophisticated auto omous flight capabilities.

About Me li Me li is a ae ospace a d defe se tech ology compa y buildi g the ope ati g system of eco d fo auto omous flight. Th ough a fi st-p i ciples app oach, the compa y is edefi i g what’s possible ac oss aviatio , ae ospace, a d defe se with the goal of delive i g full-stack auto omy fo a y ai c aft, milita y o civilia , f om takeoff to touchdow . The Me li Pilot system powe s a g owi g a ge of ai c aft a d missio p ofiles, p ove th ough hu d eds of auto omous flights f om test facilities ac oss the globe. With $100M+ total i IDIQ co t act ceili g value u de its C-130J auto omy p og am with USSOCOM, Me li is adva ci g Ame ica leade ship i auto omous aviatio . To lea mo e, visit www.me li labs.com o follow us o X @me li ae o.

Cautio a y Stateme t Rega di g Fo wa d-Looki g Stateme tsThis p ess elease co tai s fo wa d-looki g stateme ts withi the mea i g of the P ivate Secu ities Litigatio Refo m Act of 1995. All stateme ts othe tha stateme ts of histo ical fact should be co side ed fo wa d-looki g stateme ts, i cludi g without limitatio stateme ts ega di g: the expected be efits of the move to No th Ce t al State Ai po t; ou ability to suppo t ou expa di g ai c aft fleet a d g owi g flight testi g equi eme ts; ou ability to matu e ou auto omy platfo m ac oss ai c aft types a d missio s; ou visio to establish the g eate Bosto a ea as a hub fo aviatio auto omy a d the expected elated job c eatio a d access to tale t; a d ou goal of delive i g full-stack auto omy fo a y ai c aft. These fo wa d-looki g stateme ts a e based o ou cu e t expectatio s, assumptio s, a d p ojectio s about futu e eve ts a d t e ds. These fo wa d-looki g stateme ts a e eithe p omises o gua a tees, but i volve k ow a d u k ow isks a d u ce tai ties that could cause actual esults to diffe mate ially f om those exp essed o implied by the fo wa d-looki g stateme ts, i cludi g without limitatio the isks a d u ce tai ties detailed u de the sectio e titled “Risk Facto s” of ou fi al p ospectus, dated May 13, 2026, filed with the SEC o May 13, 2026, a d ou subseque tly filed Qua te ly Repo ts o Fo m 10-Q, which a e available f om the SEC. Except as equi ed by applicable law, we u de take o obligatio to update a y of these fo wa d-looki g stateme ts afte the date of this p ess elease. 

Media Co tactsK iste Geo gette617-842-6064me li @pluckp .com

A photo accompa yi g this a ou ceme t is available at https://www.globe ewswi e.com/NewsRoom/Attachme tNg/64f0e2e2-8728-4711-a72a-5553bcb3c82a