See us at Paris Air Show 2025 : AB193
Hephaestus’ Forge: Explore. Fail. Adapt. Win.
Hephaestus’ Forge® is Northwest Arkansas’ defense innovation ecosystem—where warfighting technologies are forged, tested, and tempered. Operated by the Northwest Arkansas Council and partners, it offers proving grounds and purpose-built infrastructure to advance dual-use innovation and mission-ready defense solutions.
Description
Hephaestus’ Forge® is the regional defense innovation ecosystem of Northwest Arkansas—where warfighting technologies are forged, tested, and tempered through real-world proving grounds.
Operated by the Northwest Arkansas Council and key partners, the Forge offers companies a secure, purpose-built environment to explore, fail, adapt, and ultimately win—before stepping in front of defense buyers.
At its foundation are four uniquely specialized proving grounds:
Fort Chaffee: A fully operational DoD-controlled site ideal for kinetic testing and large-scale live-fire evaluations.
Devil’s Den EMS Proving Ground (Q4 2025): Focused on electromagnetic warfare and AI-enabled spectrum operations.
ARES Proving Ground (Q1 2026): A next-gen human-machine teaming testbed for autonomous systems and warfighter integration.
Supply-Chain & Logistics Tech Proving Ground (Conceptual – Target 2027): Designed to evaluate autonomous logistics, resilient networks, and smart systems.
Hephaestus’ Forge® exists to support technology companies at all stages—by offering space to test, permission to fail, and trusted guidance to prepare for fielding, procurement, and mission use.
Operated by the Northwest Arkansas Council and key partners, the Forge offers companies a secure, purpose-built environment to explore, fail, adapt, and ultimately win—before stepping in front of defense buyers.
At its foundation are four uniquely specialized proving grounds:
Fort Chaffee: A fully operational DoD-controlled site ideal for kinetic testing and large-scale live-fire evaluations.
Devil’s Den EMS Proving Ground (Q4 2025): Focused on electromagnetic warfare and AI-enabled spectrum operations.
ARES Proving Ground (Q1 2026): A next-gen human-machine teaming testbed for autonomous systems and warfighter integration.
Supply-Chain & Logistics Tech Proving Ground (Conceptual – Target 2027): Designed to evaluate autonomous logistics, resilient networks, and smart systems.
Hephaestus’ Forge® exists to support technology companies at all stages—by offering space to test, permission to fail, and trusted guidance to prepare for fielding, procurement, and mission use.
