The U.S. Army announced on Oct. 28 plans to expand its test range initiative to two Indiana National Guard facilities, giving commercial developers additional locations to test and refine drone and counter-drone technologies.
Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle announced the expansion at the 5th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit. According to the Army’s press release, the expansion will open Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center and Muscatatuck Training Center to private-sector testing through a partnership between the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) and the Indiana National Guard.
“Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck give commercial developers the ranges and airspace they need to test what actually works,” said Gen. Christopher LaNeve, vice chief of staff and acting chief of staff of the Army. “The Army’s job is to get those systems into formations quickly. These ranges cut the time between a commercial system and a Soldier who can use it.”
The expansion is part of the Army’s Permissive Test Range Expansion Initiative, which intends to reduce administrative barriers that can slow commercial access to military testing facilities, allowing companies to conduct research, development, and system hardening in environments that may not be readily available in the private sector.
The two Indiana facilities offer different testing capabilities.
Camp Atterbury provides more than 34,000 acres of secure testing space and a dedicated restricted airspace corridor extending up to 40,000 feet. Muscatatuck Training Center offers a 1,000-acre developmental testing site with configurable urban infrastructure designed to support drone and counter-drone navigation and tracking tests in complex environments.
The facilities will be available to commercial developers seeking to evaluate emerging technologies under conditions that more closely reflect military operating environments.
“Expanding this initiative to Indiana is a win-win for national security and defense innovation,” said Maj. Gen. Pat Gaydon, commanding general of ATEC. “We are providing the physical space and the robust, restricted airspace that commercial developers need to mature their systems.”
Gaydon said ATEC has integrated its concierge team with the Indiana National Guard to help commercial developers coordinate testing activities and access the facilities.
Under the initiative, companies can submit requests through the Army’s test range portal. ATEC’s private industry concierge team will then work with vendors and the Indiana National Guard to coordinate testing schedules and requirements.
The Army said reservation requests are open, but access to a preferred location or testing window isn’t guaranteed because of capacity constraints. The concierge team will work with applicants to identify available locations and schedules.
The expansion comes as the Army seeks to accelerate the development, testing, and fielding of autonomous systems, including technologies designed to counter unmanned aircraft.
Telle said the initiative is part of the Army’s broader effort to shorten the time required for commercial technologies to reach military units.