Army Names Two Indiana Sites Premier Test Ranges for Emerging Defense Technologies

On October 28, 2026, Acting Secretary of the Army Adam R. Telle announced that Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Indiana would be designated Premier Test Ranges under the Army’s Permissive Test Range Expansion Initiative. The announcement came at Senator Jim Banks’ 5th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit in Fort Wayne. The designation is intended to expand Army access to specialized testing environments and connect commercial developers with facilities and support that may be difficult to obtain in the commercial sector. It establishes a potential pathway for testing and evaluation, but does not itself award a contract or guarantee a future procurement decision.

The two sites offer complementary testing environments. Muscatatuck provides a dense urban training center, while Camp Atterbury includes maneuver space, ranges, aviation assets, and restricted airspace. Together, these capabilities are intended to support testing of unmanned systems, counter-drone technologies, long-range fires, low-cost interceptors, and other defense capabilities. The Army’s stated objective is to evaluate technologies in conditions relevant to operational use and accelerate the journey from commercial development to Soldier-ready products.

For vendors, the designation is a test-and-evaluation opportunity to assess—not a solicitation to bid on. The source describes potential access to specialized ranges, restricted airspace, and an Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) concierge team that can help commercial developers navigate access. Telle characterized the model as a “white-glove concierge service” intended to reduce timelines for innovators seeking range space not readily available commercially. Companies should determine whether their systems fit the listed test areas and pursue information about the ATEC-supported process. The announcement does not provide an application deadline, contract value, solicitation number, or specific access terms.

The designation may also matter to procurement teams and incumbent contractors planning product testing, evaluation, and transition activities for systems intended for Army use. Access to representative environments can help developers collect evidence about system performance and identify integration or operational issues, although the announcement does not specify test protocols, evaluation criteria, or a pathway from range access to an acquisition. The Army framed the effort as part of a broader push to open its doors to American innovators, reduce bureaucratic delays, and pursue “warfighting procurement at the speed of business.” For industry, the practical next step is to monitor Army and ATEC communications and clarify eligibility, scheduling, security, and technical requirements before building range access into a program plan.

• Designation date: October 28, 2026; announced at Senator Jim Banks’ 5th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit in Fort Wayne.
• Named sites: Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, both in Indiana.
• Initiative: The ranges are designated under the Army’s Permissive Test Range Expansion Initiative.
• Potential test areas: Unmanned systems, counter-drone technologies, long-range fires, low-cost interceptors, and other defense capabilities.
• Camp Atterbury assets: Maneuver space, ranges, aviation assets, and restricted airspace.
• Muscatatuck asset: A dense urban training center designed to provide a specialized environment for testing.
• Industry access: Commercial developers may be able to use specialized ranges and restricted airspace with support from an ATEC concierge team; access procedures and conditions were not detailed.
• Procurement relevance: Developers can assess fit with the identified test areas and explore the Army-supported testing process; the announcement lists no solicitation, contract value, or application deadline.
• Important distinction: The designation expands test capacity and creates a possible evaluation pathway, but is not a contract award and does not guarantee acquisition or transition.
• Army rationale: Telle said the combination of Indiana’s range capabilities and ATEC support is intended to reduce access timelines and help deliver Soldier-ready products faster.