ACERO Act
Key claim: The ACERO Act authorizes NASA R&D on uncrewed aircraft systems and advanced aviation technologies for wildfire aerial response—including airspace deconfliction and multiagency coordination—while barring procurement of UAS from China-linked entities.
Abstract
(HR390 · 119th Congress) Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations Act or the ACERO Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project. The ACERO project conducts research and development activities regarding aerial response to wildfires using uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and other advanced aviation technologies. It is administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The bill directs the ACERO project to address airspace management and deconfliction during wildfire response efforts, including through real-time information sharing among response teams and the development of a platform to provide situational awareness of aerial assets. The bill also directs the ACERO project to establish a multiagency concept of operations to facilitate the coordination of aerial wildfire response among federal, state, and local government agencies. NASA must consult with other federal agencies and departments to avoid duplication of these efforts. NASA generally may not procure UAS manufactured or assembled by specified foreign entities, including entities domiciled in or controlled by China, for use by the ACERO project. Latest action (2026-02-24): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Why this matters
The ACERO Act embeds a China-linked UAS procurement ban inside a NASA wildfire aviation R&D authorization, extending the trade-policy pattern of adversary-country supply chain exclusions into civil aeronautics and emergency response programs. For importers and UAS integrators, it narrows the vendor pool eligible to supply drones and subsystems to a federally backed wildfire concept of operations, reinforcing demand for allied or domestic sourcing.