ACERO Act

This bill tells NASA to use its ACERO project to make fighting wildfires from the air safer, faster, and better. It pushes research and testing of drones and other aircraft, real-time information sharing, and a common system so teams can see where planes and helicopters are and avoid collisions. NASA can work with other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as companies and universities, and should coordinate to avoid doing the same work twice .

The bill generally blocks NASA from buying drones made by certain foreign entities, including ones tied to China, with a narrow case-by-case waiver allowed only if it’s in the national interest and needed for wildfire response. NASA must report each year through 2030 on what was done and how well it worked, and Congress authorizes $15 million for fiscal year 2026 for this work .

Key points

• Who is affected: Wildland firefighters, federal/state/local agencies, and communities in wildfire areas; NASA leads the research effort.
• What changes: Better airspace management, real-time data sharing, an interoperable platform to track aircraft, and a multi-agency playbook for aerial wildfire response; limits on buying certain foreign-made drones with a narrow waiver option .
• When: Annual reports through December 31, 2030; $15 million authorized for fiscal year 2026.