Merlin Moves Higher in Premarket After U.S. Military Clears Next Flight-Test
Merlin Inc shares were up sharply before the bell Friday after the autonomous-flight software maker announced its C-130J project with U.S. Special Operations Command passed a major engineering milestone, advancing the aircraft work closer to integration and formal tests. Premarket quotes put the stock at $9.14 at 6:47 a.m. EDT, a 25.7% gain. Merlin is still fresh as a public defense-tech name and early on revenue, so investors are watching for proof its military autonomy work is turning into real hardware. The stock stood out on a weaker day, with Reuters saying Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures dipped Friday before U.S. payrolls numbers.