Advanced Air Mobility Initiative
On July 17, 2025, Michigan established the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative as a whole-of-government strategy to scale Michigan’s AAM capabilities, ensure safe and efficient integration of these technologies across public and private sectors, and position our workforce, manufacturers, and infrastructure as national assets in the deployment of AAM technologies. This Initiative will support the Unleashing American Drone Dominance Executive Federal Orders from June of 2025.State Partners
Executive Directive 2025-4
Establishing the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility Initiative
Michigan is mobilizing its industrial base, including manufacturing, engineering, and logistics infrastructure, to accelerate the full lifecycle of next-generation drone technologies. This includes building, testing, commercializing, and scaling - aligned with our competitive advantages within and adjacent to our core industrial base.
Resources
AAM Activation Fund
Created to accelerate the development of AAM technologies and infrastructure in Michigan, this fund aims to create a pipeline of projects that have the potential to validate technical and economic feasibility and critical data.
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MI Hub for Manufacturers
Established to help Michigan-based manufacturers grow and adapt to industry shifts by providing access to business advising, responsible funding, events and courses, and a wide range of partner resources and programs.
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MEDC Early Stage Funding
Early stage funding is critical to the success of startup companies and entrepreneurs. Through a number of programs, MEDC’s Entrepreneurial & Innovation initiative is here to help you find the early stage funding needed.
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AAM Statewide Mobility Challenges
Michigan launched a series of challenge-based pilot programs to advance the integration of drones for solving real-world government agency problems.
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Executive Directives
Learn more about Executive Directive 2025-4: Establishing the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility Initiative and Unleashing American Drone Dominance Executive Federal Orders
Mobility Prototyping Grant
The grant program provides technical services and financial support to companies working across all modes of mobility — air, ground, and sea — with a focus on uncrewed autonomous systems, critical domestic supply chain gaps, and other breakthrough mobility innovations.
Supply Chain Support
We're here to help connect your company to Michigan manufacturers and startups that can support your production needs and/or investment interests. Get started →
Michigan's AAM Innovation Assets
Advanced Aerial Innovation Region
Michigan Central and MDOT created the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region (AAIR) to accelerate commercial drone development and position Michigan as a leader in next-generation aerial mobility.
M-Air
A flight corridor for testing drones and electric aircraft will link the University of Michigan’s one-of-a-kind autonomy research facilities in Ann Arbor to Michigan Central’s real-world, urban testbed in Detroit. The roughly 40-mile research skyway will be the centerpiece of the new public-private partnership for advanced air mobility.
National All-Domain Warfighting Center
The NADWC includes the nearly 148,000 acres of training space at the Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center and 17,000 square miles of special use military airspace at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. The arena provides units with training capabilities across all five warfighting domains.
NorthSky Uncrewed Innovation Zone
The NorthSky Uncrewed Innovation Zone is northern Michigan’s hub for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), Uncrewed Marine Systems (UMS), and Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) innovation, commercialization, and workforce development. The region has secured over $30 million in state and federal funding to support initiatives that demonstrate the real-world value of marine technology and uncrewed systems across healthcare, infrastructure, and environmental sectors.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport’s FLITE
Ford Launchpad for Innovation Technologies and Entrepreneurship (FLITE) at Gerald R. Ford International Airport is a pioneering initiative offering grants and pilot-testing for emerging air travel technologies. In collaboration with MEDC, Seamless Ventures, Southwest Airlines®, and West Michigan Aviation Academy, FLITE supports innovation in a live airport environment.
Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium
Discover the Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium (MUASC) at Alpena County Regional Airport, offering 11,000 square miles of dedicated airspace for UAS testing and development. Partnered with Griffiss FAA Test Site, MUASC provides prioritized FAA approvals and extensive R&D opportunities for commercial UAS manufacturers and operators.
MICH-AIR
Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU) is spearheading the creation of MICH-AIR, an advanced air mobility park at the Battle Creek Executive Airport (BTL). MICH-AIR is being positioned to serve multiple functions including a manufacturing site for large drones, a center for large drone operations (e.g. cargo terminal, freight delivery, surveillance, or firefighting), a hub for drone maintenance and repair, a location for training drone pilots, and a terminal for urban air mobility.
Michigan's AAM Resources and Assets
OFME is leading a statewide strategy to build up Michigan’s AAM capabilities. This plan will focus on safely integrating drones in both the public and private sectors, while also preparing our workforce, manufacturers, and infrastructure to support this new technology. Michigan is positioned to lead the charge by building a strong and secure drone sector in the U.S. by our manufacturing abilities, skilled engineering talent, and our statewide assets to build, test, and implement AAM technologies at scale.
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