U.S. Special Operations Command Seeks Drone Test Site in Mississippi

U.S. Special Operations Command posted a notice this month seeking to expand test ranges at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for drone operations. The project would add facilities for air, sea and ground-based drones plus electromagnetic capabilities, the notice stated.

Center already hosts rocket testing and military research because of its restricted airspace, waterways and isolation along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The solicitation invites industry, academic institutions and national laboratories to develop what the notice terms an “Autonomous Warfare Proving Ground” that could support operations from seabed to low earth orbit.

U.S. military advantage and allow allies to learn together. In July 2025 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum to expand the domestic drone industry and streamline acquisition. SOCOM and the defense innovation group SOFWERX will host a collaboration event in July for military officials, companies and researchers; select participants may later compete for prototype and production agreements.