U.S. Army opens five test ranges to private industry for drone and counter-drone development

Published Aug 12, 08:59 PM UTC

The U.S. Army announced it is opening five military test ranges to private industry, including sites in Utah, Arizona, Mississippi, Michigan, and Morocco, to accelerate the development and testing of drones, counter-drone systems, long-range fires, and cheap interceptors. Companies can request range access via an online portal without needing an existing government partnership. The initiative, led by the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, aims to streamline testing by providing contested airspace and degraded signal environments modeled after conditions in Ukraine. Camp Grayling in Michigan will host a recurring electromagnetic unreliability test event starting in September. The move follows Pentagon efforts to speed up drone and counter-drone acquisition and reports of depleted Patriot missile interceptor stockpiles after the war with Iran.