Army electromagnetic unreliability events empower industry to test drone, fires resilience

In a strategic effort to outpace adversaries and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technology, the U.S. Army is inviting private industry to test… In a strategic effort to outpace adversaries and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technology, the U.S. Army is inviting private industry to test their systems against realistic battlefield conditions. As a key component of the Army's broader Permissive Test Range Initiative, a series of electromagnetic unreliability test events are providing commercial vendors with unique, dedicated opportunities to strengthen their drone, counter-drone, long-range fires and low-cost interceptor technologies in contested electronic warfare environments. Launched in August 2026, the Permissive Test Range Initiative aims to remove bureaucratic hurdles for private companies, granting them streamlined access to premier military test and training ranges.

Spearheaded by the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), the goal is to create a space where companies can conduct their own internal research, development and rapid innovation on large spaces that may not be available in the commercial sector. The electromagnetic unreliability test events are a focused element of this initiative, created in partnership with the U.S. Army's Threat Systems Management Office (TSMO). These events are designed to replicate the challenging electronic warfare environments that U.S. forces and their allies face today. By subjecting systems to denied, degraded, intermittent and limited electromagnetic spectrum conditions, the