This bill directs the Secretary of Defense to set up one or more test and training corridors for small unmanned aircraft systems (small drones) and counter-unmanned aircraft system capabilities inside the national airspace system. The Department may use existing facilities or build new ones. The corridors must support research, development, testing, evaluation, and training on: drone systems and autonomy software; kinetic and nonkinetic counter-drone tools (including high-power microwave, high-energy lasers, and electronic warfare); small- to medium-caliber counter-drone weapons and low-collateral munitions; modular payload integration; faster fielding of drone-enabled munitions; and standard payload interfaces. The Secretary must work with the Test Resource Management Center and military department secretaries to pick sites, assess existing facilities, identify needed resources (including construction and personnel), list sensors needed to simulate denied or degraded communications, GPS, and spectrum environments, and find any legal or regulatory barriers to testing capabilities such as electronic warfare, directed energy, and GPS jamming or spoofing. The Secretary must consult interagency partners, consider diverse U.S. regions, and notify congressional defense committees within 90 days after establishing a corridor with its location and required resources or agreements.
The bill requires the Secretary to identify any resources needed, including military construction costs and personnel and manning costs, to establish and operate the corridors. The text does not set funding amounts or provide total cost estimates. No publicly available information on total costs or appropriations is provided in the bill text.
The sponsors directed the Department of Defense to create places to research, test, evaluate, and train on small unmanned aircraft systems and counter-unmanned aircraft capabilities. The bill lays out specific testing goals and site-selection steps, including coordination with test management and military departments to address technical and regulatory needs.
No publicly available information.