France Unveils CALAMAR Multi-Domain Weapons Testing Range
France has revealed its new multi-domain weapons testing site, designed to evaluate advanced air, land, and naval systems under realistic combat conditions.
Located in Cazaux, the CALAMAR range is operated by France’s defense procurement agency (DGA) under its Flight Test and Expertise Center.
The facility integrates airspace, ground ranges, and lake zones to measure how weapons perform across multiple domains from launch to impact.
It supports testing for fighter jets such as the Rafale and Mirage 2000, Tiger attack helicopters, guided rockets, precision munitions, and optical targeting systems.
DGA said CALAMAR’s setup allows engineers to study the interaction of weapons with varying terrains and environmental factors, providing data that feeds directly into next-generation armament programs.
It also emphasized that the site reinforces France’s “sovereign capability” to test and certify its own military technologies without foreign dependence.
France’s Expanding Test and Evaluation Facilities
The unveiling of CALAMAR adds to Paris’ continuing modernization of its defense testing infrastructure.
In recent years, DGA has expanded facilities across the country to meet growing demand for high-fidelity testing environments that support new generations of weapons, sensors, and autonomous systems.
DGA Missiles Testing Center at Biscarrosse continues to host trials for ballistic and hypersonic weapons, while DGA Naval Systems site in Toulon evaluates undersea sensors and shipborne weapons.
In Landes, DGA Essais de Missiles range has been upgraded with extended radar coverage and telemetry links for long-range missile and interceptor testing.
