[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1869 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1869

    To require the Secretary of Defense to carry out an operational 
experimentation program to evaluate the military utility of optionally 
     piloted vehicle rotary-wing aircraft, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2025

   Mr. Cruz introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Secretary of Defense to carry out an operational 
experimentation program to evaluate the military utility of optionally 
     piloted vehicle rotary-wing aircraft, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Helicopter Operational Versatility 
and Enhanced Readiness Act of 2025'' or the ``HOVER Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. OPERATIONAL EXPERIMENTATION PROGRAM FOR OPTIONALLY PILOTED 
              VEHICLE (OPV) ROTARY-WING AIRCRAFT.

    (a) Operational Experimentation Program.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army 
shall establish an operational experimentation program using optionally 
piloted vehicle (OPV) technology, including such rotary-wing platforms 
as the Secretary determines suitable--
            (1) to evaluate the military utility of optionally piloted 
        vehicle aircraft in contested environments;
            (2) to assess integration of such aircraft with crewed 
        aircraft in multi-domain operations;
            (3) to analyze cost and maintenance benefits of autonomous 
        flight;
            (4) to develop future tactics, techniques, and procedures 
        (TTPs) for Army aviation; and
            (5) to complement and inform ongoing Army science and 
        technology efforts relating to autonomy, such as the Autonomy 
        for Combat Environment Sustainment (ACES), Mission Adaptive 
        Autonomy (MAA), and the ALIAS transition agreement with the 
        Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
    (b) Duration.--The Secretary shall carry out the program required 
by subsection (a) during the two-year period beginning on the date of 
the commencement of the program.
    (c) Conversion.--Under the program required by subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall convert at least three existing rotary-wing aircraft of 
the Army into optionally piloted vehicles.
    (d) Special Use Airspace.--The Secretary shall ensure that all 
testing and evaluation under the program required by subsection (a) is 
conducted in special use airspace of the Department of Defense.
    (e) Program Management.--The Secretary shall carry out the program 
required by subsection (a) by acting through the Assistant Secretary of 
the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology in coordination 
with the head of the Program Executive Office for Aviation.
    (f) Partnerships.--In carrying out the program required by 
subsection (a), the Secretary may collaborate with stakeholders in the 
United States defense industry, universities, and research institutions 
to advance optionally piloted vehicle technologies and integrate best 
practices to support rapid prototyping and ensure interoperability with 
broader Joint All-Domain Operations initiatives.
    (g) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the 
House of Representatives a report detailing--
            (1) progress on the conversion required by subsection (c) 
        and experimentation efforts under the program required by 
        subsection (a);
            (2) initial findings of the Secretary with respect to the 
        program on operational efficiency, cost savings, and 
        effectiveness; and
            (3) recommendations for potential future procurement of 
        optionally piloted vehicle platforms.
    (h) Implementation Flexibility.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to limit the ability of the Secretary to adjust the scope, 
platform selection, or methodology of experimentation to ensure 
alignment with existing service priorities and long-term modernization 
objectives.
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