Michigan Funds 12 Advanced Air Mobility Projects
Michigan has allocated $1.7 million to 12 advanced air mobility projects, focusing on drone applications for medical delivery, infrastructure inspection, and public safety across multiple cities.
Michigan has selected 12 projects for $1.7 million in funding under the newly established Michigan Advanced Air Mobility Initiative. The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification awarded the funding in July 2025 under Executive Directive 2025-4. This initiative advances the state’s drone capabilities and supports their safe integration, aligning with federal executive orders from June 2025 on American drone dominance. The competitive selection process was administered by NextEnergy under the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform.
Funding Distribution Across Key Sectors
The $1.7 million allocation supports diverse drone applications including traffic management, medical delivery, infrastructure inspection, and public safety operations. The funded projects and their awards are:
| Company/Recipient | Award Amount | Project Focus | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airspace Link | $80,000 | Deploy UAS Traffic Management service | Detroit |
| Birdstop | $110,000 | Monitor truck parking with autonomous drones | Detroit |
| Blueflite | $70,000 | Test tubular network for package delivery | Detroit |
| Blueflite (with M-Air) | $245,000 | Drone-enabled organ delivery operations | Ann Arbor |
| CENSYS Technologies | $170,000 | Demonstrate power line inspections | Traverse City |
| ESSPI | $110,000 | Real-time oversight for medical deliveries | Detroit |
| Future Flight Global | $104,000 | Integrate wind intelligence with Digital Twin | Detroit |
| General Orbit | $150,000 | Test magnetic navigation in GPS-degraded environments | Detroit |
| Lamarr AI | $230,000 | Deploy AI-powered thermal drone inspections | Detroit |
| ResilienX | $200,000 | Deploy ORION-X platform, starting with drone-as-first-responder | Battle Creek |
| Westwood AI | $100,000 | Test AI-assisted data capture for inspections | Calumet |
| Wolverine Radar | $136,000 | Test satellite-derived hazard warnings for UAVs | Detroit |
State Leadership Emphasizes Innovation Ecosystem
State officials highlight the initiative's role in strengthening Michigan's innovation ecosystem through public-private partnerships. Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated that the projects will create opportunities for Michigan businesses, strengthen the innovation ecosystem, and prepare the workforce for future jobs. Michigan Chief Mobility Officer Justine Johnson said the collaboration demonstrates Michigan’s commitment to shared progress and transforming mobility globally.
Matt Whitaker, Director of the Mobility Innovation Platform at Michigan Central, said the funded activities prove that public-private partnerships can develop new-to-world capabilities with proper support and infrastructure. Konner Petz of the City of Detroit Office of Mobility Innovation noted that Detroit’s leadership in mobility technology testing now extends into its airspace with these pilots. This follows a prior state award of $2 million for five advanced air mobility projects in August.
The Michigan Advanced Air Mobility Initiative, established as a whole-of-government strategy on July 17, 2025, is now focused on scaling these pilot demonstrations. The state's commitment aligns with broader federal objectives to unleash American drone dominance through real-world integration.
