Row of US Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters with TY tail codes on the flight line at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

Tyndall F-35 Drone Nets: USAF Wants Curtains Around Its Jets

by Giuseppe Duncan | Nov 11, 2026 | Aviazione militare, Notizia | 0 comments

The US Air Force wants to hang nets around the parking spots of its newest fighters. A sources-sought notice posted on SAM.gov on 6 November 2026 asks industry how to wrap six existing aircraft sunshades at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, in counter-drone netting, so that small drones cannot reach the F-35A Lightning IIs parked beneath.

In other words, a fly screen for a stealth fighter. Unglamorous, cheap and, after several years of watching drones wreck aircraft parked in the open, arguably overdue.

Responses are due by 4 pm local time on 13 November 2026. The notice, issued by the 325th Contracting Squadron according to The War Zone and Aerospace Global News, is market research only, not a request for proposals, and the Air Force says plainly that no contract is guaranteed.

Informazioni rapide

Notice: Sources sought: “Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Netting Installation for Aircraft Sunshade Structures”
Date: Posted on SAM.gov 6 November 2026; responses due 13 November 2026, 4 pm local time
Ambito: Netting on all four sides of six existing sunshades at Tyndall AFB, each about 630 ft long, 65 ft wide and 30 ft high, with six bays
Threat: Group 1 (“small”) drones, weighing 20 lb or less
Spec: Mesh no wider than 3 in, 200 lb tensile strength or more, rated to 400°F, Miami-Dade wind-load rating; north and south sides retractable
Aeromobili: F-35As of the 325th Fighter Wing; reports differ on how many jets the six shelters hold
Stato: Market research and small-business set-aside check only; no contract guaranteed

What the Air Force is asking for

Each of the six structures is roughly 630 feet long, 65 feet wide and 30 feet high, divided into six bays. The contractor would design, supply and install netting on all four sides, with the north and south faces “quickly and easily retractable to allow normal aircraft entry and exit.” The jets do, after all, still need to get out and fly.

The minimum specification reads like a very serious fishing order: polyester or nylon preferred, UV- and moisture-resistant, able to withstand temperatures up to 400°F, a tensile strength of at least 200 lb and mesh squares no wider than three inches. It must also meet Miami-Dade County wind-load requirements, a sensible demand on a base that Hurricane Michael wrecked in 2018. Structural engineers may be needed to check whether the existing metal frames can carry the extra load.

The stated objective is to stop Group 1 (“small”) drones from getting inside the shelters “to protect aircraft and personnel.” In US military classification, Group 1 covers drones of 20 lb or less, the territory of commercial quadcopters and FPV kamikazes. The notice also invites details of any netting already fielded or under evaluation at other Department of Defense installations.

How many jets sit under the six shades depends on whom you read. The War Zone, which broke the story on 9 November, says each is designed for up to six F-35As. AeroTime, citing 2023 Army Corps of Engineers drawings, counts two jets per bay, enough for 72 fighters, the number planned for Tyndall’s three F-35A squadrons. Either way, The War Zone notes these six are only some of the base’s sunshades, and F-35s also park fully in the open.

US Air Force F-35A Lightning II parked beneath an arched shade structure at Tyndall Air Force Base, with the control tower behind — A Tyndall F-35A on the flight line in August 2024, framed by the arch of a shade structure. Photo: US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Victoria Moehlman

Why Tyndall, and why now

Tyndall is the Air Force’s newest F-35A hub. The service picked it in 2021 to host three operational squadrons under the 325th Fighter Wing as the base was rebuilt after Michael, and the first three jets touched down on 1 August 2023, according to Air Combat Command.

The idea of netting is not new. After weeks of unexplained drone incursions over Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, in December 2023, the base asked industry in October 2024 about counter-drone netting for up to 42 sunshades sheltering its F-22 Raptors, starting with a single proof-of-concept bay.

Since then the rest of the world has supplied the case studies. On 1 June 2025, Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb used truck-launched FPV drones against Russian bombers parked in the open; Afterburner covered the raid in detail. In January 2026 the Pentagon’s counter-drone task force, JIATF-401, issued guidance calling for more netting and tensioned cables around critical assets, according to The War Zone and AeroTime.

Closer to the Western flightline, footage released by Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications in August 2026 showed an explosive-laden drone on the tarmac at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, metres from a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft.

The cheap end of the shelter debate

The Air Force has been reluctant to pour concrete. In a July 2026 interview with Breaking Defense, Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said he did not want to spend a lot of money on hardening shelters, arguing that the economics of building one impervious to a strike “doesn’t work” and favour defending the airspace and ground around a base instead. He made one notable exception.

“Now that being said, there is value in some light protection against small, unmanned threats. Some of them — just nets that are up that keep a small, few-$100 drone from getting next to a $2 billion aircraft. That actually works, [and is] really cheap.”

Generale Kenneth Wilsbach — US Air Force Chief of Staff, interviewed by Breaking Defense, July 2026

Nets are no answer to ballistic missiles or large one-way attack drones; The War Zone points out they would not have saved the E-3 Sentry reported destroyed in Iran’s March 2026 strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. They are aimed at the small, cheap stuff that can buzz into an open-ended shade and find a very expensive jet.

Whether the Tyndall F-35 drone nets ever go up depends on what industry sends back by 13 November and whether the work can be set aside for small businesses. If it does, the Air Force’s most advanced fighters at Tyndall will spend their nights behind the same material as a batting cage. Low-tech, yes. But the drone does not care how stealthy the jet is.

Sources: US Air Force sources-sought notice on SAM.gov (FA481927R9999), The War Zone, AeroTime, Aerospace Global News, Breaking Defense, Air Combat Command, DVIDS.

Header photo: US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zeeshan Naeem

Domande frequenti

Why does the US Air Force want drone nets at Tyndall AFB?

The US Air Force wants counter-drone netting around six aircraft sunshades at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, to stop Group 1 (small) drones getting inside and reaching the F-35A fighters and personnel underneath. The idea follows drone incursions over US bases and attacks on parked aircraft abroad, such as Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb in 2025.

When was the Tyndall counter-drone netting notice published?

The Tyndall counter-drone netting notice was posted on SAM.gov on 6 November 2026 as a sources-sought notice, and The War Zone reported it on 9 November. Responses are due by 4 pm local time on 13 November 2026. It is market research only, not a request for proposals, and no contract is guaranteed.

How big are the Tyndall F-35 sunshades that would get nets?

Each of the six Tyndall sunshades in the notice is about 630 feet long, 65 feet wide and 30 feet high and divided into six bays. Netting would cover all four sides, with the north and south faces quickly retractable so F-35As can taxi in and out normally.

What is a Group 1 drone?

A Group 1 drone, in US military classification, is a small unmanned aircraft weighing 20 lb or less, the class that includes commercial quadcopters and FPV attack drones. The Tyndall netting notice names Group 1 drones as the threat the nets must stop without the netting failing.

What specifications must the Tyndall drone netting meet?

The Tyndall drone netting must be UV- and moisture-resistant, withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, have a tensile strength of at least 200 lb and mesh openings no wider than three inches. Polyester or nylon is preferred, and the system must meet Miami-Dade County wind-load requirements.

What has Gen. Wilsbach said about drone nets and hardened shelters?

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the US Air Force Chief of Staff, told Breaking Defense in July 2026 that he did not want to spend a lot on hardening shelters, but that light protection against small drones has value, describing nets that keep a cheap drone away from an expensive aircraft as effective and really cheap.

Would drone nets protect F-35s from missiles?

No. Counter-drone nets like those planned for the Tyndall F-35 sunshades are meant to stop small Group 1 drones. They would not stop ballistic missiles or large one-way attack drones, such as those used in Iran's March 2026 strike on Prince Sultan Air Base, where an E-3 Sentry was reported destroyed.