Blueflite

Blueflite is a cargo drone OEM headquartered in Brighton, Michigan. Through the Make It in Michigan Prototyping Grant Program, it fast-tracked development of its advanced drone platform for last-mile delivery. Now, Blueflite is helping shape the future of mobility logistics.

“We make a drone that plays in the group two class, so up to 55 pounds or 25 kilograms. The drone is manufactured from a carbon fiber airframe and then about 70% of the additional parts are 3D printed out of nylon,” said Blueflite co-founder and CTO James McClearen. “It's a tilt rotor, so the aircraft stays very stable in the air. The pilots program the drone where to go. The drone follows this path and then the cargo is delivered where it needs to go.”

“We see the use of drones only continuing to grow,” said Charlie Tyson, technology activation director for the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. “There's a number of different applications that drones are currently used for, whether it's search and rescue, emergency response, or moving medical supplies. We see the Make It in Michigan Prototype Grant as a big opportunity to help companies like Blueflite prototype, design, engineer, and produce their products right here in Michigan.”

The prototype grant was created in partnership with Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Tech University, the state's leading clean tech accelerator. “We're seeing an emergence of drone technology for both commercial and defense applications, [and] there aren't many drone manufacturers that are building the products here in North America,” said Tyson. “If we can support one like Blueflite to do so here in Michigan, it's a great win-win all around.”

Delivering Medical Logistics and Emergency Response for the U.S. Air Force

In September 2025, Blueflite’s dedicated public-sector affiliate company Darkflite announced its selection for a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract valued over $1.2 million, to address pressing challenges in rapid military medical emergency response. The contract was offered by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory.

“We are honored to partner with AFWERX and the Department of the Air Force on this Phase II contract award,” said Darkflite in a web post. “Our advanced logistics drone technology will bring a new level of autonomy, resilience, and mission flexibility to the DAF’s medical logistics and emergency response operations. Being based in Michigan, we are proud to contribute to the nation’s leadership in advanced aerial mobility and look forward to demonstrating how this technology can enhance readiness and efficiency for the Air Force.”

Darkflite is developing capabilities to deliver blood for transfusion directly to trauma response sites, avoiding the need to stock blood products in ambulances.

With this latest contract, Blueflite is continuing to deliver solutions and shape the future of mobility.

Learn more about Michigan’s initiatives in advanced air mobility.