FBI Trains Agents for Real-World Cyber Cases in Ala. Mock Town

An FBI training facility in Huntsville immerses agents and partner agencies in realistic investigations using a fully built mock town designed to mirror modern cyber and forensic challenges.

June 15, 2026

2 min read

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What to know

The FBI’s Kinetic Cyber Range in Huntsville has trained over 1,400 students since opening in February 2025, using realistic, scenario-based investigations.
The 22,000-square-foot facility simulates a small town with locations like homes, a hospital, courthouse, and data center to mirror real-world digital and physical environments.
Designed to move beyond classroom learning, the range exposes trainees to current technologies and hands-on cyber and forensic challenges alongside partners from agencies including NASA and the U.S. Army.

By Kayode Crown

Source al.com

More than 1,400 students have trained at FBI’s indoor technical training environment at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, since it opened February 2025, the agency said in a June 9 article.

The Kinetic Cyber Range has hotel rooms, fully furnished houses, a power company, a hospital, a gas station, a courthouse, a hotel, a data center, a business center and an arcade.

Occupying 22,000-square-foot of land, it resembles a small town built for investigations using real world scenarios and contexts.

Not only FBI personnel, but students from other agencies have trained at the location, such as NASA, the U.S. Army, and several local law enforcement agencies.

And through the range, the agency is re-envisioning how agents, analysts and forensic specialists train.

“In the past, you never left the classroom,” said Dave Beachboard, who manages the range. “Everything was presented to you at your desk. You would process a cell phone or a piece of loose media, learn about servers. Everything was kind of theory-based, along with a little bit of hands-on.”

He said the complex is meant create to “as real as it’s going to get” training situations before people go out into the field.

“The Kinetic Cyber Range is a one of a kind facility,” Beachboard said.

“There is no facility like this in the world. The systems that we have running in these facilities are just as real as the facade on the outside. Students are encountering the latest software, the latest IoT [Internet of Things], the latest drones, the latest vehicle forensics, all of that to keep us cutting edge.”

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