Sponsors (9)
The bill enables realistic domestic testing ranges to accelerate UAS and counter‑UAS capability development and local economic activity, while increasing risks of civilian interference and safety issues, taxpayer expense, community concerns about weaponization, and regulatory/bureaucratic hurdles.
Service members and DoD researchers gain dedicated corridors/ranges with simulated degraded GPS, spectrum, and communications environments to test sUAS, counter‑UAS, directed energy, and EW systems, improving operational readiness and resilience in contested environments.
Defense industry and procurement programs can integrate and standardize payloads faster, reducing development time and potentially shortening procurement timelines to field new drone capabilities sooner.
Rural host communities and federal employees benefit from concentration of investment when the Department of Defense uses existing facilities or authorizes construction for corridors, potentially creating local jobs and economic activity.
Rural communities, civilian aircraft operators, and communications users face increased safety and interference risks because testing of electronic warfare, GPS jamming/spoofing, and directed energy in domestic airspace can disrupt navigation and communications.
Taxpayers may shoulder higher costs because constructing, operating, and staffing corridors and related military construction increases DoD spending and could divert funds from other priorities.
Local communities and civil‑liberties advocates may face heightened safety and escalation concerns from domestic testing of kinetic or lethal drone munitions, raising public opposition and ethical worries about weaponization of UAS technology.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish sUAS test-and-training corridors, plan required resources, coordinate interagency impediments, and report corridor details to defense committees.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish test and training corridors for small unmanned aircraft systems and associated capabilities, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 23, 2026 by Ronny Jackson · Last progress July 23, 2026
Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish or designate one or more test-and-training corridors in the national airspace for small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), counter-sUAS platforms, and related capabilities. Directs the Department of Defense to identify locations and resources, assess existing facilities, plan for required sensors and denied/degraded environments, coordinate with interagency partners, and notify congressional defense committees about corridor details and needs within 90 days of designation. Authorizes the use or construction of DoD facilities to support these corridors and sets required functions for research, development, test, evaluation, and training across sUAS, autonomy, electronic warfare, directed energy, high-power microwave, munitions, payload interfaces, and other countercapability workstreams. The law requires consideration of geographic diversity and identification of legal, regulatory, or interagency impediments with recommendations to address them.