Army Opens Test Ranges to Small Companies to Try to Get Weapons Quicker to the Battlefield
The program lets companies without military contracts use five Army ranges to test missiles, drones and anti-drone weapons.
- On Friday, the Army launched an online marketplace opening test ranges to private companies developing missiles, drones, and other weapons without requiring prior military contracts.
- Seeking to cut months of red tape, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll stated the effort aims to "break down every single barrier that we have put up over the last 20 or 30 years." Testing timelines typically span 12 to 18 months.
- Covenant Industries executive Abby Denburg confirmed the company tested the Anthem missile at an Army range in Morocco, demonstrating a "repeatable pathway" now available to every firm.
- The program pledges access to ranges within 30 days, addressing shortages of advanced interceptors like Patriot and THAAD missiles depleted by conflict involving Iran in the Middle East.
- President Donald Trump pushed back Thursday, claiming certain munitions are in "virtually unlimited supply" while others are "a little bit tighter." Driscoll asserted the nation maintains a "larger arsenal than any nation in the history of the world.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Army opens ranges in US, Morocco to speed interceptor testing, development
WASHINGTON — The Army has officially opened up four of its domestic testing ranges and one international range where private industry can blast off interceptor missiles they have developed with their own funds, in hopes of getting promising candidates into the acquisition pipeline faster. Currently, defense companies, particularly smaller nontraditional vendors, often face wait times...
US Army offering defense firms 'concierge access' to test weapons at military ranges
The U.S. Army is opening up military test ranges to private defense companies and promising "concierge" access aimed at dramatically cutting the time it takes companies to test new weapons and technologies.Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told reporters in a call on Friday that companies will be able to secure testing opportunities within 30 days of submitting a request, compared with a typical wait of roughly 18 months."We just had to get out of our…
Associated Press News
Army opens test ranges to small companies to try to get weapons quicker to the battlefield
The U.S. Army says it’s opening up test ranges to private companies developing missiles and drones. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told The Associated Press that it was driven in part by his observations of the war in Ukraine and how quickly that country has moved to produce new weapon systems.
The U.S. Army is testing hypersonic warheads with a large cannon. This is supposed to make tests cheaper and save development time.
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