Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced a new executive order to establish the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative to scale Michigan’s AAM capabilities and ensure safe and efficient integration across public and private sectors.
Four new projects will receive over USD 4.1 million in total funding to scale AAM research and infrastructure through the second round of the state’s AAM Activation Fund. The first round of funding, totaling over USD6 million, was launched in July 2024. The projects receiving funding in the second round aim to address critical delivery needs in healthcare, emergency services and the automotive industry while also advancing academic research in the area.
The four projects receiving funding are:
CVS Health (USD1,500,000 – Troy, MI)
Michigan will be the first state to support CVS Health’s drone initiative, which aims to use uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to address critical challenges in healthcare. Through this programme, CVS Health will partner with multiple stakeholders to test using UAS to make it faster, simpler and more environmentally sustainable to get critical specialty medications to patients.
Traverse Connect (USD949,000 – Traverse City and surrounding areas)
Expanding upon the Traverse Connect’s previously awarded AAM project, which tested and scaled UAS for use cases that include delivery of medical supplies and other critical healthcare services to improve rural health outcomes. This project seeks to implement a new phase of use of UAS to improve the transportation of critical medical supplies, laboratory samples and essential equipment across Munson Healthcare’s network of clinics.
Jack Demmer Automotive Group (USD7040,000 – Various Locations)
In partnership with DroneUp, Blueflite and Airspace Link, this project will focus on using drones for the rapid delivery of high-demand automotive parts within a 12-mile radius of Jack Demmer Ford dealerships. By using drones for delivery, the project addresses current logistics challenges caused by road congestion and workforce shortages in urban settings like metro Detroit.
University of Michigan (USD1,000,000 – Ann Arbor, MI)
The university will create “M-Air,” an expansion of the Mcity public/private partnership, building out testbeds for AAM and UAS. M-Air will also help incubate, attract, and nurture startups in aerospace, improve student experiential learning from K-12 to graduate education, and with its industry partners assist academic faculty with responding to and winning large federal grants for the region. In partnership with Michigan Central, M-Air will help establish a Detroit–Ann Arbor air mobility corridor that links the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region anchored at Michigan Central with a new hub to be established at the University of Michigan, creating a connected ecosystem for innovation, testing and deployment.
The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification will lead the implementation of the Michigan AAM Strategy in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Aeronautics Commission, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation and other agencies as appropriate.
Michigan also recently held its first-ever Uncrewed Triple Challenge, a competition that challenged entrants with using uncrewed, autonomous drones to seamlessly transport a package across Michigan. The event resulted in ABJ Drone Techniques’ SiFly Q12, a fully electric multirotor drone, completing a 63-mile course while carrying a 10-pound payload and braving wind gusts of up to 32 mph.
For more information
Image: Governor Whitmer/State of Michigan
