The US Army is creating a faster route for defence companies to access military test ranges as it seeks to reduce the time required to move new weapons from development toward operational deployment. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said companies developing missiles, drones and other systems will be able to request access to US and allied test ranges through a new online marketplace.
The Army intends to provide access within 30 days of a request. This represents a significant effort to reduce a process that can otherwise take between 12 and 18 months, according to Driscoll.
The initiative is designed to remove acquisition and testing barriers that have slowed the development and evaluation of new military technologies. Recent conflicts, particularly the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, have demonstrated the importance of quickly adapting and fielding new capabilities.
Smaller defence companies are a particular focus. The Pentagon has been seeking greater participation from nontraditional suppliers that may be able to develop cheaper and more rapidly producible systems. Faster access to test facilities could help these companies demonstrate their technologies without facing lengthy scheduling delays.
The Army has said that one of the first companies to use the new system tested a new cruise missile at an Army missile test range in Morocco.
The Army Test and Evaluation Command operates a network of facilities covering different military requirements. Dugway Proving Ground in Utah includes more than 800,000 acres and provides a long-range fires testing area extending up to 100 kilometers. Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona is the Pentagon’s primary test and training range for small drones and is opening the West Cibola Range for dedicated industry use.
Camp Grayling in Michigan provides restricted airspace and about 200,000 acres of varied terrain, while Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Mississippi covers more than 134,000 acres and provides multi-domain infrastructure.
Together, the initiative and the available testing network are intended to shorten development timelines and help the Army respond more quickly to changing battlefield requirements.
