The US Air Force wants to protect the F-35s at Tyndall Air Force Base with drone networks.

The US Air Force wants to protect the F-35s at Tyndall Air Force Base with drone networks.

The US Air Force is exploring the possibility of installing anti-UAV nets on six F-35A receivers at Tyndall AFB in Florida. The corresponding announcement on the search for contractors was published on November 6 on the SAM.gov portal. Although this is only market research, no purchase decision has been made.

Each canopy is approximately 192 m long, 20 m wide and 9 m high. It has six sections, each of which can hold two fighters. Thus, all six buildings are designed for 72 aircraft.

The nets are supposed to prevent the penetration of UAVs from the smallest category, group 1, weighing up to 9 kg. Requirements include webs no larger than 7.6 cm, tensile strength of 200 lbf (about 91 kgf) and temperature resistance up to 204°C.

Quickly removable nets will be provided at the ends of the shelters so that they do not interfere with the transportation of aircraft. Contractors will also need to assess whether existing metal structures will support the additional load.

Tyndall is not the first Air Force base to consider such protection. In 2024, a similar project was investigated at Langley Air Force Base for shelters for F-22 aircraft.

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