The U.S. Army is opening the gates of two Indiana military installations to private tech companies, effectively turning thousands of acres of state land into a laboratory for the next generation of drone and counter-drone warfare. By adding the Muscatatuck Training Center and Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center to the Permissive Test Range Expansion Initiative, the military aims to reduce administrative hurdles that typically slow commercial access to military ranges.
Acting Army Secretary Adam R. Telle announced the expansion on Wednesday, Oct. 28, during the fifth annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit in Fort Wayne. The program establishes a partnership between the Indiana National Guard and the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) to allow commercial vendors to research, develop, and harden systems in environments not readily available in the private sector.
Specialized Testing Environments
The two Indiana sites provide distinct capabilities for developers to evaluate emerging technologies under conditions reflecting military operating environments:
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- Camp Atterbury: Offers more than 34,000 acres of secure space and restricted airspace reaching up to 40,000 feet. Near Edinburgh, Ind., the site has been used for training with the Switchblade 600 loitering munition system.
- Muscatatuck Training Center: Features a 1,000-acre site with configurable urban infrastructure used for testing drone navigation, tracking, and counter-drone systems.
This expansion follows an August announcement in which the Army opened five other testing ranges, including sites in Michigan, Mississippi, Utah, Arizona, and Morocco, as part of a broader effort to replenish stockpiles and streamline procurement. Those sites include Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Dugway Proving Ground, West Cibola Range, and the Multidomain Training Area range complex.
Army Coordinates Vendor Testing with Indiana National Guard
Because of capacity constraints, the Army noted that specific testing windows or locations are not guaranteed. To manage this, ATEC has integrated a private industry concierge team with the Indiana National Guard to coordinate requirements and schedules for vendors.
Maj. Gen. Larry Muennich, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, stated that the designation will expand the state’s role in developing emerging technologies and connect defense companies with military operators.
Accelerating Military Fielding
The initiative is designed to shorten the timeline between the creation of a commercial system and its deployment to soldiers in the field. Maj. Gen. Pat Gaydon, commanding general of ATEC, described the move as a “win-win for national security and defense innovation.”
Gen. Christopher LaNeve, Vice Chief of Staff and Acting Chief of Staff of the Army, emphasized the practical necessity of the sites, stating, Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck give commercial developers the ranges and airspace they need to test what actually works. 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.
Maj. Gen. Gaydon added, We are providing the physical space and the robust, restricted airspace that commercial developers need to mature their systems.
