Overview
- President Trump told supporters at a Kalispell rally on Oct. 14 that the "Department of War" will establish a new "super range" in Montana to test autonomous systems, space capabilities, electronic warfare, supersonic weapons, and hypersonic systems.
- The claim has been publicly reported by multiple outlets but the administration has not provided a site, cost estimate, schedule, or formal Pentagon confirmation tying the plan to existing military programs.
- Montana already hosts aerospace testing infrastructure, including the Montana Spaceport & Test Range and the Limestone Hills Innovation & Test Campus, but Trump did not say whether the new range would link to those projects.
- The announcement was made at a midterm campaign event to support Republican candidates, continuing a pattern of the president unveiling federal projects on the campaign trail.
- If the plan moves forward it would require Defense Department approval and funding, and it could bring testing jobs and private investment to the state while reporters and officials seek concrete details and timelines.