The U.S. Army plans to establish at least two domestic electronic warfare testing ranges within the next four to six weeks. According to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the ranges will simulate combat conditions similar to those in Ukraine.

Driscoll stated that the new ranges would allow for a contested environment to be created. "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," he said. "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." Driscoll declined to specify the locations because planning is not yet complete.

Some current U.S. counter-drone training exercises do not include electronic jamming due to domestic restrictions on such activities. The Army is also evaluating a global range outside the United States for more aggressive testing, including hypersonic weapons. Driscoll made these statements during an industry day event focused on systems to intercept drones and missiles.

Dwayne Hayes, an official from the Army's Strategic Threats Office, reported that Russia produces approximately 3,000 to 5,000 one-way attack drones, such as Shaheds, each month. Hayes added that Russia manufactures roughly 600,000 smaller first-person-view drones monthly, while Ukraine produces about 30,000 interceptor drones per month.

Driscoll emphasized that the new initiatives are not intended to replace existing solutions. "This is not intended to replace the solutions that we have — they're incredible," he said. "They've been described as the 'Ferrari' of products, and it is, but we need some other things to supplement those products." The U.S. Army intends to solicit proposals from companies in the coming months for lower-cost drone interceptors.