Simulation training for drones, counter-drone, electronic warfare and space operations

Last updated October 21, 2026

Synthetic training for drone operators, counter-drone teams, electronic warfare operators and space operations crews.

This guide lists 11 providers of immersive training for drones, counter-drone, electronic warfare and space operations, in alphabetical order: CAE, FAAC, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), InVeris, Lockheed Martin, Moth+Flame, Northrop Grumman, OneArc (formerly BISim), Operator XR, Red 6 and Slingshot Aerospace. The order is not a ranking. Each provider is described with the same fields, from its own materials and public records, with sources.

1. Questions buyers ask

2. Overview

Drones, counter-drone defense, electronic warfare and space operations are changing quickly, while live practice is limited by airspace, spectrum access and the availability of real systems. Immersive training in this field ranges from laptop and VR drone simulators to synthetic space ranges where crews face simulated adversaries.

Policy now pushes this training into everyday use. A July 2025 Secretary of Defense memo called for drones in all relevant combat training in 2026 and all major training events by 2027, and in July 2026 the Marine Corps created a Robotics Integration Group to standardize small-drone and counter-drone training.

Space and electronic warfare training face similar gaps. A Space Force commander estimated that about 40% of his units lack realistic trainers, and the service is building an Operational Test and Training Infrastructure and, in 2026, set up the NITE-STAR contract pool to add simulators and ranges.

The problem

Live drone and counter-drone training competes for airspace, spectrum and ranges. Executive Order 14307 told DoD to streamline airspace approvals for UAS training and to report barriers to spectrum access, and the July 2025 memo called for at least three national ranges for deep UAS training.

Counter-drone training is reaching smaller units. In April 2026 Marine Corps leaders called defeating drones a significant concern as Marine Air-Ground Task Force Training Command prepared to offer counter-UAS training lanes for the first time that summer, and described fielding counter-UAS kits to smaller formations.

Electronic warfare and space crews have few realistic trainers. GAO reported that studies by DoD and others list staffing and training among DoD's electromagnetic spectrum challenges, and Space Force leaders say several missions, including electronic warfare, train on live mission systems because simulators are lacking.

Mandates and programs

• Executive Orders 14307 and 14305 (June 6, 2025). EO 14307, Unleashing American Drone Dominance, says DoD must be able to train using low-cost U.S.-made drones and orders it to streamline airspace approvals and report spectrum barriers for UAS training. EO 14305, Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty, directs steps to create a National Training Center for Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
• Secretary of Defense memo "Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance" (July 10, 2025). The memo calls for drones in all relevant combat training in 2026, including force-on-force drone wars, and in all major training events by 2027; at least three national ranges for deep UAS training; and low-cost drones for every squad by the end of 2026.
• Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401). After DoD issued a classified Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems in December 2024, the Secretary of Defense in August 2025 ordered the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) replaced by JIATF 401, DoD's lead for counter-small UAS, and asked for recommendations on a dedicated counter-sUAS test and training range.
• Public Law 119-21 (July 4, 2025): counter-drone funding. Section 20004 appropriates $500 million for counter-unmanned aerial systems programs, plus $350 million non-kinetic, $250 million land-based and $200 million ship-based, through September 30, 2029; Section 90005 adds $500 million, via FEMA's State Homeland Security Grant Program, for state and local capabilities to detect, identify, track or monitor drone threats.
• Space Force training infrastructure: STARCOM, OTTI and NITE-STAR. Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) turned five in August 2026. The Space Force's Operational Test and Training Infrastructure aims to combine digital, cyber and live ranges, and on July 31, 2026, Space Systems Command set up NITE-STAR, a 15-company pool for test and training capabilities such as simulators.

3. Providers compared

Every provider below is described with the same fields and the same length limits, from its own published materials and public records. Where a provider does not publish something, the entry says “Not published.” Providers are in alphabetical order.

4. What to ask a vendor

1. Which drones, payloads, threats and counter-drone systems does it model, and how fast can you add new ones? Drone tactics change quickly, and the July 2025 memo calls drone dominance a process race as much as a technological race, so libraries of drones and threats need frequent, low-cost updates.
2. Can trainees use their own controllers, goggles, weapons or counter-drone equipment with it? Training with fielded equipment shortens the step from simulator to field and keeps procedures consistent with what crews carry.
3. How does it model jamming, spoofing and other electromagnetic effects on drone links and sensors? EW shapes drone and counter-drone fights, and Executive Order 14307 ordered a report on barriers to spectrum access for UAS training, so simulation may be the only practical rehearsal.
4. Does it run offline or air-gapped, and which accreditations or authorities to operate does it hold? Deployed units and classified scenarios need systems that work disconnected; ask for current accreditation documents rather than statements that a system is suitable.
5. What does the after-action review capture, and can the data feed our training records? Debriefs drive learning; exportable performance data lets units track proficiency across events instead of leaving it inside one simulator.
6. Can it network with other simulators and live, virtual and constructive exercises through DIS or HLA? Collective training matters: an Army drone trainer networked 145 laptops at Fort Cavazos and fed simulated drone threats into real mission command systems.
7. Which U.S. units use it today, and can we speak with them? Units with similar missions can show whether the product works outside demonstrations and how much instructor support it needs.
8. Which contract vehicles cover it, and does it have SBIR Phase III status? Existing vehicles, such as the training pool in GSA's ASTRO contracts, or SBIR Phase III status may offer a faster route than a new competition.

5. How buying works

Existing contract vehicles can cover this training. GSA's ASTRO program is a set of ten multiple-award IDIQ contracts for services on manned, unmanned and optionally manned platforms, and its Training pool covers instruction for platforms and robotics on land, air, sea or space.

SBIR Phase III covers work that extends an earlier SBIR or STTR project but is funded from other sources, including follow-on development and transition into government acquisition programs.

Counter-drone buying is using fast-track methods: JIATF 401 opened a Commercial Solutions Opening in February 2026 to procure counter-small UAS solutions through a streamlined process, with awards possible through the end of 2028.

For space training, Space Systems Command's NITE-STAR pool of 15 companies will compete for task orders over 10 years for ground training elements, such as simulators and instrumentation, and a future on-orbit range.

For SBIR, GSA schedules, OTAs and other routes in general, see How buying works.

6. More questions