Chippewa County Turns into Epicenter for Superior Digital Drone Operations Hub with Assist from State, Trade, and Analysis Companions
Chippewa County, MI. – A brand new public-private partnership has launched in Michigan’s Japanese Higher Peninsula to advance drone-based mobility options and airspace administration. Funded by the Michigan Workplace of Future Mobility and Electrification’s (OFME) Michigan Mobility Funding Platform (MMFP), the mission will set up a regional Operations Middle in Chippewa County, enabling near-border business and safety drone operations by real-time situational consciousness and FAA-authorized visitors coordination companies.
Led by ANRA Applied sciences, the initiative brings collectively the Chippewa County Financial Improvement Company (CCEDC), Censys Applied sciences, and the Michigan Tech Analysis Institute (MTRI). The collaboration goals to place Chippewa as a strategic testbed for scalable non-public and public Uncrewed Plane System (UAS) deployment throughout Michigan.
“This mission exemplifies Michigan’s dedication to main the way forward for superior air mobility by constructing the inspiration for a scalable drone ecosystem for the Higher Peninsula,” mentioned Justine Johnson, Michigan Chief Mobility Officer on the Michigan Financial Improvement Company. “By means of public-private partnerships similar to this, we’re igniting a catalyst for innovation that may drive long-term development in a transformative sector—benefiting each public companies and personal enterprise alike.”
“At ANRA, we’re dedicated to constructing the digital infrastructure wanted to soundly scale drone operations throughout the nation,” mentioned Amit Ganjoo, Founder and CEO of ANRA Applied sciences. “This mission in Chippewa County isn’t just about deploying expertise, it’s about demonstrating how public-private collaboration can unlock actual worth for communities by smarter, safer airspace administration.”
Chippewa County’s location, bordering Canada and close to worldwide waterways just like the St. Marys River, makes it a great launch level for near-border drone operations. Its strategic setting helps real-world testing for cross-border coordination, regulatory alignment, and scalable purposes in commerce, safety, and infrastructure monitoring.
“This mission represents a major leap ahead for Chippewa County as we embrace modern mobility options that align with our area’s strengths in aviation, expertise, and cross-border logistics,” mentioned Chris Olson, President of the Chippewa County Financial Improvement Company. “We’re particularly excited to host ANRA’s Working Image on the Chippewa County Worldwide Airport (CIU), establishing a neighborhood hub for real-time drone visitors coordination and regional airspace administration.”
The deployment will combine ANRA’s FAA-authorized airspace administration platform with Censys Applied sciences’ long-endurance UAS, making a unified operational image to help missions similar to emergency response, infrastructure inspection, and logistics. Censys brings deep experience as a nationwide chief in securing regulatory approvals for superior drone operations, making them a great associate for demonstrating how BVLOS flights could be safely and compliantly scaled in real-world environments.
“Deploying our UAS alongside ANRA’s platform in a mission-critical, near-border surroundings showcases how American-made drone expertise can ship actual affect,” mentioned Trevor Perrott, CEO of Censys Applied sciences. “We’re honored to be a part of a mission that pairs innovation with regional objective.”
Along with conducting drone operations, Michigan Tech Analysis Institute will lead information analytics and efficiency analysis actions, leveraging native testing infrastructure and many years of analysis excellence in autonomy and distant sensing.
“MTRI is worked up to contribute our technical experience, each within the discipline and within the lab to make sure that mission outcomes are measurable, scalable, and scientifically sound,” mentioned Dr. Colin Brooks, Transportation Program Space Supervisor at MTRI. “We see this as a proving floor for each coverage and expertise.”
Michigan is jumpstarting its superior air mobility economic system by constructing the infrastructure and partnerships wanted for protected, scalable UAS operations. In July of 2025, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an Govt Directive 2025-4 Establishing the Michigan Superior Air Mobility Initiative and thru applications like MMFP, the state is laying a basis for development in superior air mobility, attracting funding, and increasing alternatives in business, public security, and logistics sectors.
“Chippewa’s location, terrain, and entry to numerous customers make it an ideal place to mature UAS programs,” mentioned Melinda Marion, Precision Strategy LLC. “This mission demonstrates the power of Michigan’s ecosystem and the worth of cross-sector collaboration.”
The mission’s preliminary part will start in July 2025 with associate alignment, tabletop workouts, and simulation actions. Reside flights and real-world missions will comply with in 2026, with remaining outcomes anticipated by Q3 2026.
About ANRA Applied sciences
ANRA Applied sciences delivers superior airspace administration options for uncrewed programs, supporting mission administration, UTM, operations facilities, and superior air mobility. ANRA holds the FAA’s first Letter of Acceptance for non-vertically built-in Strategic Coordination companies and is the one airspace administration supplier licensed by the European Union Aviation Security Company. Centered on security, effectivity, and scale, ANRA is enabling the way forward for autonomous flight. Study extra at www.anratechnologies.com.
About CCEDC
The Chippewa County Financial Improvement Company’s mission is to encourage financial development by strengthening the county’s aggressive place and facilitating investments that construct capability, create jobs, generate financial alternative, and enhance high quality of life. The Chippewa County EDC additionally manages the Chippewa County Worldwide Airport (airciu.com) and the Kincheloe Industrial Park.
About MTRI
The Michigan Tech Analysis Institute (MTRI) is a analysis middle of Michigan Technological College. We take a holistic view of the distant sensing drawback house – from goal understanding, sensing optimization, and superior processing, to using new mathematical paradigms to extract information from present and non-traditional information sources. MTRI has over 100 analysis employees funded solely by exterior grants and contracts, together with scientists protecting numerous analysis areas, with PhDs and Grasp’s Levels in Environmental Science, Biology, Engineering, Laptop Science, Arithmetic, and Physics, amongst others. https://www.mtu.edu/mtri/
About Censys Applied sciences
Censys Applied sciences is an American aerospace firm specializing in long-range, fixed-wing vertical takeoff and touchdown (VTOL) drones designed for Past Visible Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. Headquartered in Daytona Seaside, Florida, Censys presents absolutely built-in options combining American-made, NDAA-Compliant UAV {hardware}, field-swappable payloads, AI-powered information analytics by its CensWise platform, and complete FAA regulatory help. Their flagship Sentaero sequence serves crucial infrastructure, public security, environmental monitoring, and protection sectors—enabling prospects to gather smarter, safer, and extra actionable information throughout complicated operational environments.
Concerning the Michigan Workplace of Future Mobility & Electrification
The State of Michigan’s Workplace of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) is a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Michigan Financial Improvement Company, the Michigan Division of Labor and Alternative, the Michigan Division of Transportation, the Michigan Division of Atmosphere, Nice Lakes and Power, and the Govt Workplace of the Governor. Launched in early 2020, OFME works throughout state authorities, academia and personal business to reinforce Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, together with growing dynamic mobility and electrification insurance policies and supporting the startup and scale up of rising applied sciences and companies. OFME performs a coordinating function – nestled between a number of state companies — uniquely positioning the workplace to speed up mobility innovation in Michigan. Study extra about OFME.
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