Army Opens Five Test Ranges to Speed Private Weapons Development
The U.S. Army is opening five test ranges to privately funded weapons developers and aims to cut access waits from as long as 18 months to 30 days. Faster trials may ease one acquisition bottleneck, but production still depends on contracts and fragile munitions supply chains.
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A faster lane from prototype to proving ground
The U.S. Army said Friday it will give private weapons developers access to five military test ranges, promising a booking within 30 days rather than the 12 to 18 months companies can currently wait.stripes +1 The sites are Camp Grayling in Michigan, Camp Shelby in Mississippi, Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, West Cibola at Arizona’s Yuma Proving Ground, and a partner-operated multidomain range in Morocco.stripes +1
The initiative targets drones, counter-drone systems, long-range missiles and low-cost air-defense interceptors. A new online portal will pair each applicant with an Army contact to guide it through the process, an approach Army Secretary Dan Driscoll described as a “concierge-esque experience.”stripes
Smaller firms get a route around the contract queue
Companies will not need an existing military contract to request range time, potentially lowering a major barrier for startups that have financed development themselves.apnews The Army will not pay their travel or other testing expenses, however, and Driscoll said the offer is intended for systems mature enough to test—not early concepts seeking a subsidy.breakingdefense
Covenant Industries has already used the Morocco range to test its Anthem cruise missile. The California startup said it is preparing production-ready equipment for a manufacturing line expected to begin delivering assets in early 2027, though neither the company nor the Army disclosed whether contract talks are under way.breakingdefense The Army also plans a September event at Camp Grayling that will recreate electronic-warfare conditions seen in Ukraine for drone and counter-drone trials.stripes
Range access solves only one bottleneck
The opening reflects lessons from Ukraine’s rapid weapons iteration and pressure on U.S. inventories from intensive missile and drone warfare.apnews Faster testing could help the Army identify viable products and move them toward procurement sooner, but it does not by itself expand factories or guarantee orders.
Production constraints run deeper. A National Defense University study found that long-lead components, obsolete parts, specialized equipment and sole-source suppliers have repeatedly limited munitions surges; it concluded that pre-crisis procurement and investment largely determined which weapons could scale after Russia invaded Ukraine.ndupress Solid rocket motors remain a particular chokepoint: the Pentagon awarded Anduril another $43.7 million this year to expand motor production and test-fire infrastructure in Mississippi.thedefensepost
Even additional motor manufacturers may draw from the same thin supplier base for nozzles, igniters, cases and energetic chemicals. Industry executives have warned that some inputs come from only one or two companies and can require lengthy requalification if a supplier disappears.breakingdefense The ranges can shorten the path to a successful demonstration. Turning that demonstration into stockpile depth will still depend on durable contracts, industrial investment and resilient lower-tier suppliers.