US to Establish Ukraine-Mimicking Battlefield Testing Ranges

The US will set up at least two domestic testing ranges that mimic battlefield conditions in Ukraine, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said on Tuesday.

Driscoll said defense contractors would have access to the sites, where the Army and industry “can start to do much more aggressive testing,” according to DefenseScoop.

The US has been struggling to keep pace with rapidly evolving drone technology used extensively by both Russia and Ukraine.

“You can have a kind of electronic warfare and all of the contested environment created, and you can have drone manufacturers and counter-drone tool-builders engaging together,” Driscoll told reporters at an Army-hosted industry event.

“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 added.

According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon is actively seeking companies capable of producing 300,000 low-cost kamikaze drones and is prepared to spend $54.6 billion next year on an expanded drone warfare program.

The widespread use of surveillance and attack drones in the Ukraine conflict has created vast ‘kill zones’ along the front line, with both sides using UAVs to repel mechanized assaults and carry out strikes deep inside enemy territory.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said earlier this month that domestic companies now have the capacity to produce more than 15,000 FPV drones per day, up from about 15,000 per month in 2023.

Moscow has warned that Western supplies of drone technology and other weapons to Kiev make NATO a de facto participant in the conflict and risk further escalation.

Ukraine frequently uses drones to strike civilian targets. Last month, UAVs destroyed a college dormitory in Russia’s Starobelsk, killing 21 students.

On June 3, a Ukrainian drone struck a commuter bus in Enakievo, killing eight passengers. Two weeks later, a drone hit a bus carrying a youth football team from Belarus near the Russian village of Nelzhichi, killing a pregnant woman and injuring eight people, including six children.