The US Army is giving defense companies faster access to its test ranges as it seeks to shorten the path from weapons development to battlefield deployment.
The US Army is giving defense companies faster access to its test ranges as it seeks to shorten the path from weapons development to battlefield deployment.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the service will provide companies developing missiles, drones, and other weapons with access to US ranges and allied test ranges within 30 days of a request through a new online marketplace, according to a report by the Boston Herald.
The initiative is intended to shorten a testing process that can otherwise take 12 to 18 months, according to Driscoll.
He said the army wants to remove acquisition barriers that have slowed the development and evaluation of new weapons, particularly as warfare in Ukraine and the Middle East highlighted the need to field capabilities faster.
“We are inviting industry to get in the mud with our soldiers, to innovate, to invest behind them,” Driscoll said.
Smaller defense companies are a particular focus as the Pentagon pushes for greater participation from nontraditional suppliers while the US seeks cheaper, more rapidly producible weapons.
One of the first companies to use the new system has tested a new cruise missile at an army missile test range in Morocco, according to the US Army.
Sites Available for US Defense Firms
The Army Test and Evaluation Command operates a network of major test and evaluation facilities covering different types of military systems.
Dugway Proving Ground in Utah offers more than 800,000 acres (323,748 hectares) and up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) of long-range fires test range, while Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the Pentagon’s primary test and training range for small drones, is opening its West Cibola Range for dedicated industry use.
Michigan's Camp Grayling, the only Deep UAS Training Range, offers restricted airspace and about 200,000 acres (80,937 hectares) of varied terrain.
Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Mississippi, meanwhile, spans more than 134,000 acres (54,227 hectares) and provides multi-domain environments and infrastructure.
