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LIFT seeks $3.3M in state match to house hypersonics test equipment in Michigan
Summary
LIFT asked the appropriations subcommittee for $3.3 million to match $6.6 million in federal funding for a hypersonic heat/stream environment test facility planned for a permanent site at Selfridge and interim work in Corktown; LIFT said the equipment is on order and the state match would ready facilities to host the asset.
Joe Steele, executive vice president of public affairs at LIFT (a Michigan-based public—private nonprofit), asked the subcommittee for $3.3 million in state funds to provide a 50% match to $6.6 million Congress has committed for hypersonics and extreme-environment test equipment.
Steele described the proposed HEAT facility as a "one-of-a-kind" capability that would let Michigan test larger material samples (a 9-by-9-inch piece versus a 2-by-2 at an out-of-state facility), retain data-generation and attract defense and dual-use investment. He told the committee the federal equipment is being built in Florida and "will be shipped up here by the end of the year," and that the state dollars would pay for site preparation and a permanent facility at Selfridge Air National Guard base.
Members raised questions about contingency on federal funds (Steele said the state request is not contingent on receiving federal funds), any relation to F-15 flight testing (Steele said HEAT focuses on materials, not aircraft missions) and neighborhood impacts. Steele characterized the test run as short bursts—about 60 seconds, eight times per day—with the "sound equivalent of a leaf blower."
