Air University Tests Drones at Maxwell

Three-day unmanned aircraft testing at Maxwell Air Force Base assessed small drone detection by security forces.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

A long empty runway at an air base under a broad hazy sky, with a single small drone hovering in the distance above the tarmac edge. — Air University tested small unmanned aircraft at Maxwell Air Force Base from October 6 to 8, assessing how security forces detect drones on the airfield. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should the U.S. spend more on defending against drone threats?

Air University tested unmanned aircraft systems at Maxwell Air Force Base from October 6-8, coordinating with the 42d Air Base Wing's security forces and airfield operations personnel. Security forces examined their ability to detect and identify small drones during the operations.

Why it matters

The Air Force needs opportunities to operate small drones, understand their capabilities, and examine how to defend against them. The work could help inform future approaches to protecting installations needed to launch, recover, and sustain combat operations.

The testing ran three days, October 6-8, and was described as the first event of its kind coordinated on Maxwell Air Force Base. Integration and validation work on the underlying systems remains underway.

The players

Air University

Air University is the Air Force's center for professional military education and research, based at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

42d Air Base Wing

The 42d Air Base Wing is the Air Force unit responsible for base operations at Maxwell Air Force Base.

The details

BESPIN, based at Gunter Annex, and Rownd took part in the testing, which included artificial intelligence and had two objectives: establishing procedures for continued small drone operations at Maxwell and examining how security forces detect and identify unmanned aircraft on the airfield. The idea for the event began about a year ago.

August: An engineering briefing described ongoing unmanned aircraft systems work.
October 6-8: Three-day unmanned aircraft testing at Maxwell Air Force Base.

Big Picture

The testing extends Air University's applied research into small unmanned aircraft operations on the Maxwell airfield, building toward defensive procedures for installations that support combat operations.

For residents near Maxwell Air Force Base, the drone testing reflects ongoing airfield activity. The effort points toward procedures that could shape how small unmanned aircraft are detected and managed on base in the future.

The takeaway

Small drone operations at military installations are being tested for both capability and defense, with security forces learning to detect and identify unmanned aircraft as the technology develops.