As cybercriminals grow more sophisticated, law enforcement must keep pace with realistic training that goes beyond classroom theory. The FBI has taken an unprecedented step by building a full-scale town inside a hangar at its training campus in Huntsville, Alabama — the Kinetic Cyber Range — designed to give agents and partner agencies hands-on experience in a controlled, hackable environment.
A Life-Sized Training Ground
The 22,000-square-foot facility replicates an American town with 11 different facilities, according to TechRadar. Among them are houses, a data center, a gaming arcade, a convenience store, and a hotel. Every business and piece of technology inside can be hacked — the range contains 200 hackable servers loaded with firewalls, email systems, and file directories. The purpose is to immerse students in a realistic digital environment while ensuring nothing malicious can escape into the real world.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total area | 22,000 square feet |
| Hackable servers | 200 |
| Facilities | 11 (houses, data center, arcade, store, hotel) |
| Students trained | More than 1,400 since February 2025 |
| Partner agencies | NASA, US Army, local law enforcement |
| Training topics | Drone software, vehicle forensics, internet of things |
Real-World Scenarios
Beyond technical hacking, the range includes role-play exercises that mirror real-world challenges. Students conduct interviews with business executives whose premises are being searched and deal with medical staff concerned about patient welfare during a ransomware attack. These scenarios are difficult or impossible to fully replicate in a classroom, according to TechRadar. David Beachboard, Program Manager of the Kinetic Cyber Range, described the facility as “one of a kind” and said “there is no facility like this in the world … This is about as real as it’s going to get before people go out in the field,” as reported on the FBI’s YouTube channel.
Broad Access and Impact
The FBI opens the facility to other federal and local agencies. NASA, the US Army, and local law enforcement entities can use the range to train on the latest technologies, including drone software, vehicle forensics, and the internet of things (IoT). Since opening in February 2025, more than 1,400 students have passed through the range, with training regularly updated to address emerging threats.
For enterprise technology leaders, the FBI’s approach underscores the importance of realistic, scenario-based cybersecurity training. As supply chains adopt IoT sensors and connected vehicles, the same skills taught at the range — identifying vulnerabilities in vehicle systems and IoT devices — become directly relevant to protecting logistics infrastructure. The facility’s focus on hands-on, safe simulation offers a model for how organizations can prepare defenders against the tactics used by global hackers.
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