Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU) has announced that it has selected ResilienX to develop the ground-based sense and avoid system for MICH-AIR, the advanced air mobility hub under development at the Battle Creek Executive Airport (BTL). This system will enable remote and autonomous aircraft to operate in Battle Creek and beyond.
“ResilienX will deliver an integrated physical and digital operating environment that will allow routine BVLOS operations across the Battle Creek region,” said the organisations in a joint press release. “The multi-year effort establishes Battle Creek as one of the nation’s most advanced hubs for scalable uncrewed and advanced air mobility operations. The project will deploy a fully integrated BVLOS ecosystem combining cooperative and non-cooperative surveillance, digital airspace services, and aviation-grade safety assurance. Once operational, the MICH-AIR BVLOS environment will support a wide range of use cases, including public safety, infrastructure inspection, medical logistics, advanced manufacturing, and future defence and security missions.”
In 2018, BCU received a grant from the Michigan Defense Center (now the Michigan Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation) to determine Battle Creek’s capacity to support advanced air mobility (AAM), including electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles as well as remote and autonomous aircraft. The study concluded that Battle Creek is well positioned to attract investment from AAM companies, due to its airport, available capacity in the air and on the ground, existing company base, strategic location, and community assets. In 2023, BCU secured a USD7 million appropriation in the 2024 Michigan State Budget. The ‘Make it in Michigan’ budget also included USD10 million for advanced aerial mobility/drone infrastructure projects including vertiports, drone hubs, drone ports, and last mile delivery.
The system to be deployed in Battle Creek will be scalable across Michigan and beyond, say the partners. It is designed to expand over time, supporting additional operators, new mission profiles, and integration with future state and national drone corridors.
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(Image: MICH-AIR)