 A total of 1,053 Merlins and Metros were produced when production ended in 1998; 350 short-fuselage Merlins and 703 long-fuselage Merlins and Metros.In 1971 Piper Aircraft entered into merger negotiations with Swearingen, but did not finalize the merger.In 1973 Ed Swearingen formed a new company and went back to modifying aircraft, developing a new version of the Lockheed Jetstar on behalf of the manufacturer and Garrett.