BaseShield Sim
Tabletop and screen-based air base defense simulator that lets security forces and civil engineers run threat scenarios (drone swarms, cruise missiles) and compare countermeasure playbooks.
Air Force security forces instructors, base defense planners, and defense-studies students
- Scenario library seeded with real-world strike events (Prince Sultan AB, etc.)
- Sandbox to layer magazine depth, sensor coverage, and intercept timelines
- AI-generated after-action review highlighting cost-per-engagement
- Exportable briefings for instructors and curriculum use
Active Iranian and Russian drone-and-missile strikes have exposed gaps in air base defense doctrine that training programs now need to address urgently.
Strong, documented urgency: USAF stood up Joint Task Force 401 (Aug 2025), created new Point Defense Flights in 2026, and JCO/RAND ran a 6th tabletop exercise in March 2025 with 100+ participants from 24+ federal agencies specifically on defending bases against drone incursions.Defending U.S. Military Bases Against Drones? A Recent Tabletop Exercise Explores How ↗Air Force creates task force to improve counter-drone tactics at bases ↗U.S. Air Force Creates Point Defense Flights to Protect Air Bases from Drones and Cruise Missiles ↗
Crowded incumbents: VirTra, Saab's EXCON drone trainer, SKIFTECH counter-UAS shotgun sim, StratOS, airdefense.dev, and an open-source GitHub C-UAS sim already target adjacent niches; major primes (Booz Allen, Anduril, Epirus) dominate live counter-drone and the JCO/RAND scenarios were built in-house, leaving a narrow commercial wedge for a small tabletop/screen product.Airborne Defense Simulator - Military UAV Defense Training ↗Saab Unveils Drone Trainer That Functions as Both Asset and Threat ↗Advanced Anti-Drone Shotgun Simulator for Military Training | SKIFTECH ↗Military Training Simulation Software | Combat Simulators ↗
Buyers exist (DoD is funding fly-away kits and new units) but defense procurement is dominated by primes and long sales cycles with ITAR/clearance hurdles; realistic per-seat defense simulation contracts are typically 6-7 figures from established vendors, so a small entrant most realistically monetizes via university defense-studies programs or commercial wargamers.Top 9 Best Military Simulation Software - 2026 Buyer's Guide ↗Military Training and Simulation Solutions, Software & Systems ↗
Drones are a durable threat driving permanent institutional change: USAF is creating standing Point Defense Flights and a Joint C-sUAS Office, and JCO has run six recurring tabletop exercises since 2016 — the demand is structural, not just headline-driven.U.S. Air Force Creates Point Defense Flights to Protect Air Bases from Drones and Cruise Missiles ↗Defending U.S. Military Bases Against Drones? A Recent Tabletop Exercise Explores How ↗
A tabletop/decision-support wargame is buildable by a small team (a GitHub C-UAS sim framework already exists as open source), but matching the fidelity/credibility USAF instructors expect, plus ITAR and FedRAMP/Air Force accreditation for classified scenarios, is a multi-year, capital-intensive effort.theYsnS/drone-defense-simulator - GitHub ↗