ALERT Act

Summary#

This bill, called the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act, directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to take many steps to improve aviation safety. Key actions in the bill include: requiring certain large aircraft to adopt an upgraded collision-avoidance system called ACAS‑Xa and creating standards and a committee to plan deadlines for installation; developing ACAS‑Xr standards for rotorcraft and planning installation timelines; opening a negotiated rulemaking to require collision mitigation technology (including ADS‑B In capability) on many turbine and other covered aircraft with an effective date no later than December 31, 2031; multiple FAA studies, working groups, and rulemakings on controller training, controller workload practices, anti‑blocking radio technology, conflict alert improvements, time‑based flow management, and airport arrival rates (including for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport); annual reviews and chart updates for helicopter routes, required vertical separation near airports, and changes to visual and instrument charts to show helicopter routes; establishing definitions and reporting for close proximity encounters and creating a database and notification process for loss of separation events; an Inspector General audit of the Air Traffic Organization safety culture; reviews of miles‑in‑trail procedures and documentation of combined controller positions; and other studies and reports. For the DoD, the bill adds a new chapter to Title 10 that requires a memorandum of agreement between the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Defense about ADS‑B Out, collision mitigation technologies, and how the DoD will share non‑sensitive flight data, while protecting special mission and sensitive aircraft data. The DoD must also improve rotary‑wing safety systems, training for operations in congested Class B airspace, flight data monitoring, and related reporting.

What it means for you#

• If you fly or operate aircraft covered by the bill, you may face new equipment requirements (upgrades or retrofits) such as ACAS‑Xa, ACAS‑Xr (for rotorcraft), ADS‑B In, or other collision mitigation systems. The bill sets processes to determine deadlines and standards for those installations.
• If you are an air traffic controller or work in FAA operations, the bill creates new training reviews, tools, and systems (conflict alerts, anti‑blocking tech, safety risk assessment tools) and asks for more documentation of combined control positions and supervisory time‑on‑position practices.
• If you operate helicopters, the bill requires annual helicopter route reviews, clearer charted altitudes and vertical separation near airports, and possible changes to published routes near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
• If you are in the DoD, the bill requires a formal agreement with the Department of Transportation on how military aircraft use ADS‑B and other collision mitigation technologies in U.S. airspace, while allowing exemptions for sensitive or special missions and protecting sensitive data.
• The bill creates many deadlines for studies, reports, working groups, and rulemakings. It does not itself list dollar amounts for equipment or implementation.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill frames its actions around improving safety and situational awareness in the national airspace system. It directs equipment upgrades, new standards, training changes, better reporting of close proximity events, and coordination with the Department of Defense. Many provisions call for stakeholder consultation, working groups, and timelines to modernize collision avoidance and air traffic procedures.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.