US Air Force, Army eye industry access on test ranges

What does it mean for the military to open its test ranges to approved private companies?

Opening test ranges means giving approved private companies controlled access to military facilities, equipment, airspace or training environments. Companies can use these settings for tests that would be difficult, expensive or impossible to recreate independently. The arrangement is designed to speed innovation and help useful technology reach warfighters sooner.

The Army’s ranges can offer conditions such as contested airspace, degraded signals and battlefield-scale space. A company could therefore test equipment against challenges that resemble real military operations, rather than relying only on laboratory trials. Access is arranged through an Army online application portal.

This access is not unrestricted. Companies must be approved, and the military must protect sensitive capabilities and information. The Air Force is studying the Army’s experience, including smaller-scale tests previously arranged at Eglin Air Force Base. The broader aim is faster learning while preserving security during testing.

How many Army test ranges have been opened to industry, and where are they located?

The Army opened five military test ranges to approved industry through an online application portal. Four are in the United States, and one is overseas. This creates a broader testing network for companies developing equipment and technologies for military use.

The domestic locations are Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, West Cibola Range at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Mississippi, and Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Michigan. Each offers a military environment for approved testing.

The overseas location is the Multidomain Training Area range complex within the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center in Morocco. Together, the five sites reflect the Army’s effort to provide one access route to varied conditions. The article does not identify which companies have used the ranges or describe completed tests.

Why is the Air Force studying the Army’s approach to commercial access?

The Air Force is studying the Army’s approach because private industry is leading much exploration and development through its own research and development. Giving companies access to military ranges could accelerate their learning and help promising technologies become relevant for military consideration sooner.

Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro said Air Force leaders are actively working with the Army. Air Force officials have discussed range access with Army Test and Evaluation Command. Massaro also drew on his experience at Eglin Air Force Base, where officials and contractors arranged smaller-scale access for specific tests.

That earlier experience produced lessons about how the arrangement might work. The Air Force is not announcing a matching range program yet. It is examining the Army’s processes, benefits and safeguards before deciding how to move forward. The study reflects a desire to reduce barriers without exposing critical capabilities unnecessarily.

How could access to military ranges shorten the time it takes companies to test and improve new technology?

Military ranges can shorten testing by providing ready-made facilities, controlled airspace and realistic training conditions. Companies do not have to assemble every element independently or wait through the traditional range process. Faster access lets them test, learn from failures and improve designs sooner.

Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll described a process that could shrink testing from up to 18 months to as little as 30 days. The Army’s portal creates one front door, with a real person helping companies enter the process. Ranges can also offer contested airspace, degraded signals and space for full-scale testing.

The faster cycle matters because industry can develop ideas internally but may lack realistic military environments. Earlier feedback can show whether technology works under demanding conditions. The article presents this as a way to accelerate learning and move useful capabilities closer to military consideration, not as a guarantee that every project will succeed.

What security risks could arise when private companies test sensitive military capabilities, and how does the military try to manage them?

Private testing can create security risks because companies may handle sensitive military capabilities in environments that adversaries can observe. The article highlights information security concerns and the threat of adversaries gathering imagery from above. Growing drone incursions could make that exposure risk more serious.

Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro said the Air Force understands it must protect critical capabilities during testing. He specifically acknowledged that opening access could worsen the risk of observation from above. The concern applies when companies test advanced weapons or other capabilities whose details could be valuable to adversaries.

The military manages the risk by designing testing processes and methods with information security in mind. Massaro said officials pay attention to the threat when executing tests and work to account for it in their procedures. The article does not specify particular counter-drone systems, secrecy rules or approval standards beyond controlled access for approved companies.

What kinds of battlefield conditions can military test ranges recreate that companies may struggle to reproduce on their own?

Military ranges can reproduce difficult battlefield conditions that private companies may not easily create alone. The article identifies contested airspace, degraded signals and space for testing at real scale. Such environments let developers examine how equipment performs when communications and operating conditions are disrupted.

Dan Driscoll gave a specific example: a range set up to imitate a Ukrainian battlefield. He also cited places to test anti-jamming and hypersonic weapons technology. These facilities provide controlled settings for examining equipment against complex conditions rather than only testing it in ordinary commercial spaces.

The mechanism is access to existing military infrastructure and prepared scenarios. Companies can bring their ideas to a range instead of assembling equivalent airspace, signal conditions and battlefield space themselves. This can speed learning and expose weaknesses earlier. The article does not state that every range offers all these conditions or that every company can use every capability.

What is military test and evaluation, and why is it necessary before a weapon or technology is adopted by the armed forces?

Military test and evaluation is the structured examination of equipment under planned conditions to determine how it performs. It can involve realistic environments, controlled trials and repeated measurements. The purpose is to turn a promising idea into evidence about whether it works well enough for military consideration.

In this article, ranges provide conditions such as contested airspace, degraded signals and battlefield-scale space. Companies can test equipment against those challenges, learn what fails and improve the design. The Army also described facilities for anti-jamming and hypersonic weapons testing, plus a range that imitates a Ukrainian battlefield.

Testing is necessary because military technology must be evaluated before adoption, rather than judged only by laboratory claims or demonstrations. It helps identify weaknesses and informs decisions about usefulness. The article emphasizes faster learning, but it does not describe a formal adoption checklist or specify exactly which tests are required for approval.

Key Facts:

📌 Approved companies receive controlled access to selected military test ranges.

📌 Ranges provide realistic conditions private firms may struggle to recreate.

📌 The goal is faster innovation and quicker military technology development.

📌 The Army opened five ranges to approved industry.

📌 Four ranges are domestic, and one is overseas.

📌 The overseas range complex is in Morocco.

📌 Air Force leaders are actively working with the Army.