- U.S. Army Secretary and Wash100 awardee Dan Driscoll and other officials unveiled plans to use domestic ranges for industry testing of military weapons
- The military branch will also open a range abroad fore more aggressive technology testing
- The plan was revealed to defense vendors during an industry day for low-cost interceptors
Senior U.S Army officials revealed that the military branch is planning to open its domestic ranges to defense vendors and establish a range overseas in the next four to six weeks in order to expedite technology testing, DefenseScoop reported.
Officials led by Dan Driscoll, U.S. Army secretary and 2026 Wash100 awardee, made their remarks Tuesday during an industry day focused on low-cost interceptors.
What Are Defense Companies’ Current Challenges in Product Testing?
Startup and large defense companies currently have a 12- to 18-month waiting time before they can book Army ranges for testing due to domestic policy restrictions. Dwayne D. Hynes, chief of foreign intelligence technology at the Army’s Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, said that it was not efficient to deploy weapons that are expensive and hard to manufacture against mass-produced systems, as seen in the U.S. war with Iran.
What Did Dan Driscoll Say About Enlisting Domestic Ranges in Industry Testing?
Driscoll was quoted as saying that a range to be built with an unnamed international U.S. ally would allow for “much more aggressive testing” of defense systems under development. He also said that two of the domestic ranges will be chosen based on their ability to mimic Ukrainian frontline troops.
“You can have kind of electronic warfare and all of the contested environment created, and then you can have drone manufacturers and counter-drone tool builders engaging together, and then we also want soldiers to be able to go there, so that they can strengthen their skills and work hand-in-hand with developers,” he explained.
