Army opens premier test ranges to private industry for rapid innovation

WASHINGTON — In a major effort to accelerate the delivery of critical capabilities to the warfighter, the U.S. Army announced it is opening four premier stateside military test ranges and collaborating with partners to open an international military test range to private industry for their internal research, development and rapid experimentation. Spearheaded by the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), in close partnership with the Mississippi and Michigan National Guard and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), this initiative prioritizes commercial access to specialized environments ideal for testing drones, counter-drone technologies, long-range fires and low-cost interceptors. The ranges designated for this effort include Dugway Proving Ground in Utah; West Cibola Range, a newly opened component of Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona; Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Mississippi; Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Michigan; and the Multidomain Training Area (MDTA) range complex, a component of the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center (AMTEC), in Morocco. “A company with a good idea shouldn’t need a team of lawyers and a program of record just to prove their equipment works,” said Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. “So we fixed that. One front door — testrange.army.mil — a real person to walk you in, and on the other side, everything the modern battlefield demands: contested airspace, degraded signals and the space to test at real scale.” To streamline access, the Army has launched a modern portal, which serves as a digital "front door" for industry. Companies can easily request range time and will be paired with a dedicated concierge who will assist them through the scheduling processes. Private industry does not need to have a prior U.S. government contract or existing federal relationship to submit a request. “At Dugway Proving Ground and West Cibola Range, we are providing industry partners with unparalleled access to massive land and airspace that is perfect for the ‘fly, fail, fix, fly’ process necessary to mature emerging drone and long-range fires capabilities,” said Maj. Gen. Pat Gaydon, commanding general of ATEC. “By aligning our test processes with the speed of commercial innovation, we enable developers to rapidly prototype and iterate on their systems.” In addition to standard testing, the Army will also host a special electromagnetic unreliability test event for private industry at Camp Grayling during the week of Sept. 13, 2026. This environment will mimic the contested electronic warfare conditions currently seen on the battlefield in Ukraine, offering industry a rare opportunity to harden their drone and counter-drone systems. The Army anticipates this opportunity will be repeated on a quarterly basis. “I am grateful to the Secretary of the Army for selecting Camp Grayling to help advance defense innovation and support the modernization of our military,” said Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “This designation will help streamline research, development and innovation opportunities for Michigan’s defense industry, accelerate the delivery of emerging capabilities to the warfighter and further strengthen our partnership with the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. We look forward to providing a realistic environment where government, industry and the military can work together to rapidly develop and evaluate the technologies that will shape the future battlefield.” Camp Shelby represents the Mississippi National Guard’s contribution to the test range initiative. “We are thrilled to partner with the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command,” said Maj. Gen. Bobby M. Ginn Jr., adjutant general of Mississippi and commanding general of the Mississippi National Guard. “Camp Shelby, with its distinct history of training warfighters coupled with its unique capabilities, stands out as an exceptional location for a test range. We are committed to supporting the T&E of cutting-edge technologies that empower our warfighters and enhance their operational effectiveness across all warfighting domains, operational imperatives and cross-cutting sectors.” Internationally, AMTEC will provide dedicated physical space to ensure forces and systems are prepared to operate effectively in any environment. A key feature of the MDTA is the ability to operate in the full electromagnetic spectrum as well as contested environments. “AMTEC represents a transformative leap in multinational collaboration,” said Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of AFRICOM. “This partnership will not only advance the capabilities of both the U.S. and Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, but it will also provide the defense industrial base with a world-class international venue to experiment, innovate and develop scalable solutions for long-range fires and emerging technologies.” While submitting a request does not guarantee a vendor’s desired location or timeline due to capacity limits, the Army concierge team will work closely with all applicants to find suitable testing locations and windows. To view the new site, visit https://testrange.army.mil/ArmyRangeReservation/s/