“To direct the Secretary of Transportation to expand Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations for unmanned aircraft systems, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines, for purposes of the Act, the terms "appropriate committees of Congress" and "unmanned aircraft system" by reference to their meanings in 49 U.S.C. 44801.
This section directs the Secretary of Transportation to (1) issue, not later than 30 days after enactment, a proposed rule enabling routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); and (2) issue, not later than 6 months after enactment, a final rule based on the proposed rule. The section further directs the Secretary to (1) establish, not later than 30 days after enactment, metrics for assessing the performance and safety of BVLOS UAS operations; and (2) identify, not later than 180 days after enactment, and describe any additional regulatory barriers and challenges to BVLOS implementation, along with recommendations to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy for addressing them expeditiously and for potential regulatory or legislative action.
This section directs the Secretary of Transportation to (1) explore options for exempting unmanned aircraft systems operating over the high seas within flight information regions for which the United States has operational control from requirements applicable to manned aircraft under the Convention on International Civil Aviation; (2) identify potential barriers to such operations; and (3) report to the appropriate congressional committees on those findings, along with legislative recommendations to enable the operations.
This section directs the Secretary of Transportation, not later than 120 days after the date of enactment, to initiate deployment of artificial intelligence tools to assist in and expedite review of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) waiver applications under part 107 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (i.e., regulations governing small UAS commercial operations, which require waivers for activities such as beyond visual line of sight or night operations). The tools must (1) support performance- and risk-based evaluation of proposed operations; (2) identify materially similar precedents and recommend consistent mitigation measures; (3) assist the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator in identifying categories of UAS operations with sufficient safety data or recurring approvals that may warrant rulemaking to eliminate individualized waivers; and (4) comply with Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M–25–21 on federal artificial intelligence use. In deploying the tools, the Secretary must examine their potential use in reviewing exemption petitions under Section 44807 (i.e., FAA's risk-based approvals for certain UAS operations without full airworthiness certification).
This section establishes an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) integration pilot program under which the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, provides grants to state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments for projects to accelerate safe eVTOL operations (i.e., electric aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, such as for advanced air mobility). The Secretary must issue a request for proposals within 90 days of enactment; proposals, due 90 days later, must include a private-sector partner experienced in eVTOL development, manufacturing, and operations; and the Secretary may select projects within 180 days of the request that propose to begin operations within 90 days of project agreement. Project selection prioritizes (1) eVTOL aircraft and technologies from U.S.-based entities, (2) economic and geographic diversity plus public-private partnership models, and (3) operations such as advanced air mobility, medical response, cargo transport, and rural access. Agreements must specify project goals, regulatory needs, timelines, information-sharing mechanisms, and responsibilities. The Secretary must submit an initial implementation report to the Director and congressional committees 180 days after selections and annual reports thereafter through program sunset, covering progress, evaluations, recommendations for permanent eVTOL integration into the national airspace, and future initiatives for U.S. leadership. The program sunsets 3 years after the first pilot project becomes operational unless extended in the national interest, with program data used to develop regulations and shared with specified federal agencies.
This section directs the Secretary of Transportation to prioritize the integration of unmanned aircraft systems manufactured in the United States into the national airspace system over those manufactured outside the United States, to the maximum extent permitted by law.