Air Force battle lab to develop counter-drone SOPs for U.S. air base defense

The U.S. Air Force is preparing to run a series of counter-drone exercises with industry partners throughout 2026 as part of a new effort to develop standardized operating procedures for defending air bases from unmanned threats. This follows an announcement made by JIATF-401 earlier this week, which introduced standardized testing guidelines for the assessment of new counter-sUAS technologies, which suggests an increased focus on aligning counter-drone efforts across the Department of War.

Air Combat Command selected the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, in January to lead the Point Defense Battle Lab. The initiative aims to develop tactics, techniques and procedures that align with emerging counter-sUAS technologies intended to protect U.S.-based installations.

The 319th Reconnaissance Wing, supported by the Kansas Air National Guard’s 184th Wing, plans to conduct exercises each month of 2026 where companies can demonstrate counter-drone technologies for potential Air Force use. Officials expect to run at least one exercise per month, with some months hosting two demonstrations at undisclosed locations.

Industry demonstrations planned throughout 2026

To prepare for the exercises, the battle lab recently released two requests for information seeking companies interested in participating in future demonstrations. One request focuses on technologies capable of detecting, identifying and tracking drones. The other targets companies developing kinetic hard-kill solutions such as missiles and projectile-based systems.

“We’re going to have specialized exercises throughout the year, and we’re looking to identify those businesses now, so that we can reach out and say, ‘Hey, in July, are you available? You have capabilities that fit within the exercise that we’re planning to do,’” said Senior Master Sgt. BreeAnn Sachs, a spokesperson for the 319th. “We’re looking at every kind of company. If there’s a company that does one specific piece of counter-UAS – detection, tracking, elimination, identification – great. If you have a technology that can do all of them, fantastic.”

Developing standard operating procedures for base defense

The exercises will contribute to the development of a standard operating procedure for defending air bases against drone threats.

“The tactics and techniques and procedures that we capture and develop through these exercises are going to be synthesized into a standard operating procedure for point defense for drones,” Sachs said.

She added that the goal is to complete the first iteration of the operating procedure within the 2026 calendar year and distribute it across Air Force installations in the United States.

“Then that SOP will be given to … all Air Force installations in the United States, so that we can rapidly help all [installations] acquire and install this counter-UAS infrastructure,” Sachs said.

Focus on deployable systems and layered defenses

The RFIs specify that technologies should be rapidly deployable via cargo pallet and set up by teams of up to four Airmen within two hours. Systems must be designed to counter Group 1 through Group 3 drones and operate in extreme temperatures and winds up to 30 miles per hour.

One solicitation seeks technologies capable of consistently detecting and tracking Group 1 drones at ranges of two kilometers or greater while autonomously classifying objects to distinguish drones from non-UAS targets. A secondary objective includes detecting and tracking Group 2 and Group 3 drones at ranges between 50 meters and 500 meters.

The second request focuses on hard-kill systems, including Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) launchers, large-caliber 30mm airburst or proximity ammunition systems, automated weapon stations with counter-UAS fire control, autonomous drone-on-drone interceptors, high-energy lasers between 2 and 20 kilowatts and high-power microwave systems designed to counter drone swarms.

“We acknowledge that it’ll likely take multiple systems that can integrate with each other to give us a full picture and give us all the capabilities that we need to properly defend our installations from aerial threats,” Sachs said.

She noted that different bases will require different solutions depending on their location and operational environment.

“Every installation is going to have different needs, different electromagnetic spectrum considerations, different considerations for if they are close to water … if they are close to mountains,” Sachs said. “So, we understand that we are going to need to be evaluating a wide range of different companies, so that we have a lot of different options available.”

Companies have until April 30 to respond to the current RFIs, though additional solicitations may be released monthly to support specific exercises and bring in additional industry participants.

The battle lab operates as part of Air Combat Command’s broader Point Defense Task Force, which focuses on addressing the growing threat posed by drones to military installations.

“This is a really dynamic threat,” Sachs said. “There will be a refinement piece, so we’ll continue to evaluate this technology, so that we can offer updates to the SOP.”