Army Plans New Domestic Ranges for Drone Testing
The Army plans to establish at least two domestic ranges that simulate conditions on Ukraine battlefields within four to six weeks. This initiative was announced by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who emphasized the need for electronic warfare and contested environment training.
Driscoll also highlighted collaboration between drone manufacturers and tool-builders to enhance soldier skills. He noted existing U.S. testing locations but declined to disclose plans for a global range outside the country for more aggressive tests, including hypersonics.
Current counter-drone training lacks electronic jamming due to domestic restrictions on such technology. Driscoll made these comments during an Army industry day focused on discussions about systems designed to intercept drones or missiles.
Army’s Strategic Threats Office official Dwayne Hayes reported that Russia produces approximately 3,000 to 5,000 one-way attack drones and around 600,000 smaller first-person-view drones monthly. In response, Ukraine manufactures roughly 30,000 interceptor drones each month.
The U.S. defense industry is under pressure to produce affordable interceptors amid the Iran war’s vulnerabilities in speed and cost of production. President Trump plans to meet with major defense companies this week to accelerate output.
Currently, some leading firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and L3Harris focus on high-cost, advanced munitions such as Patriot interceptor missiles, which can cost between $4 million and $5 million each. The Army is now seeking proposals from a wider range of manufacturers for less expensive interceptors to complement these “Ferrari” products.
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