Sponsors (33)
The bill boosts aviation safety, transparency, and civil‑military coordination by tightening ADS‑B exceptions, expanding audits and data sharing, and creating coordination structures — but it does so at the cost of new administrative and equipment expenses, potential operational constraints for military/law‑enforcement activities, and some privacy/interoperability risks.
Pilots, passengers, and the flying public will get improved safety and collision‑avoidance because the bill narrows ADS‑B non‑transmission exceptions, requires ADS‑B In performance/alerting standards, and increases audits and data sharing so surveillance and risk analysis are more complete.
Taxpayers and citizens gain greater transparency and accountability because agencies must report non‑transmitting flights, audits are subject to GAO/DOT‑IG review, and the FAA must provide periodic briefings and public reports.
Military, carriers, and controllers should see better civil‑military coordination and planning because the bill establishes an FAA‑DoD coordination office, standardizes MOUs/data sharing, and promotes consolidated incident reporting for more coherent airspace use.
Taxpayers, federal agencies, and aircraft operators will face significant new costs and administrative burdens from reporting requirements, audits, GAO/DOT‑IG reviews, creating/staffing a coordination office, equipment mandates, and negotiating/redacting data‑sharing agreements.
Military and law‑enforcement operators risk constrained training and operational flexibility because short notification triggers, mandatory coordination, and public reporting could expose sensitive activities or force rapid operational changes.
Taxpayers, controllers, and air carriers may face reduced airspace transparency and interoperability problems if DoD aircraft remain exempt from ADS‑B, complicating traffic management and increasing controller/pilot workload.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Mandates ADS‑B In for aircraft already required to have ADS‑B Out, tightens ADS‑B Out exceptions, increases FAA–DoD coordination and audits, and repeals a prior DoD ADS‑B exception.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Robert F. Onder · Last progress November 20, 2025
Requires the FAA to expand surveillance and transparency for rotorcraft and other aircraft already required to broadcast ADS‑B Out by mandating ADS‑B In equipment and operations, setting performance standards, timelines (compliance by December 31, 2031), and frequent reporting on rulemaking and implementation. It also tightens the exception that lets some flights withhold ADS‑B Out transmissions, increases audits and reporting for agencies performing “sensitive” missions, and repeals a prior NDAA provision that exempted certain Department of Defense aircraft from ADS‑B requirements. Creates new oversight and coordination requirements between the FAA and the Department of Defense: establishes an FAA–DoD coordination office, requires memoranda of understanding to share military aviation safety data with the FAA, directs an Army Inspector General audit of Army rotorcraft practices in the National Capital Region, and mandates FAA safety reviews at Washington, DC area and certain Class B/C airports to assess risks to commercial transport operations.