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Battle Creek Unlimited Secures $7M Appropriation for Michigan Drone Park
by DRONELIFE Staff Author Ian M. Crosby
Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU) has closed a $7 million appropriation in Michigan’s 2024 state budget signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on July thirty first. This funding might be leveraged to support the event of MICH-AIR, a complicated air mobility park on the Battle Creek Executive Airport (BTL). The airport has roughly 200 acres of land available for development, making it the right site for drone operations.
BTL is home to aviation firms reminiscent of Duncan Aviation and WACO Aerospace, in addition to the Michigan Air National Guard’s a hundred and tenth Wing, which currently has a distant drone operation. Also based at BTL is Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation, which offers degree programs in aircraft operations, aircraft maintenance, and airport operations. The airport can be adjoining to the three,000-acre Fort Custer Industrial Park, with almost 90 firms and greater than 13,000 employees.
MICH-AIR might be the primary facility of its kind in Michigan, serving as a hub for the advanced air mobility sector, which incorporates autonomous and remotely piloted aircraft in addition to electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft..
The ability might be marketed by BCU as a site for drone manufacture, operations, maintenance & repair, and drone training, along with urban air mobility. The $7 million in funding might be leveraged to upgrade BTL’s airspace surveillance system in preparation for increased traffic from autonomous and remotely piloted aircraft. BCU has already invested roughly $3 million within the MICH-AIR project, including site preparation, land acquisition for a brand new entrance, engineering plans, and environmental evaluation.
“MICH-AIR will put Battle Creek and Michigan at forefront of the advanced air mobility sector,” said BCU President & CEO Joe Sobieralski. “This industry is rapidly expanding, and this project could have a transformative impact on our community. It should bring a brand new, high-tech industry to Battle Creek which can create a whole lot of high-paying jobs. We’re grateful to Gov. Whitmer and the Michigan State Legislature for his or her support. We especially appreciate Rep. Jim Haadsma’s efforts to get this project funded. This could not have been possible without Jim’s leadership.”
“At MICH-AIR, we might be targeting large aviation and defense manufacturers, that are developing next generation aircraft. These might be used for transportation, cargo delivery, border surveillance, spraying crops, or firefighting. There are every kind of applications, for each civilian and military use. Our goal is for MICH-AIR to be a pacesetter within the emerging sector.”
Fortune Business Insights projects the worldwide business drone market to grow from $2.3 billion in 2021 to $11.2 billion by 2028. The state of Michigan is in search of to advance its aerospace industry, with a deal with the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) sector. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is currently partnering with the Canadian province of Ontario on a feasibility study to research potential business applications of drones.
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