Rep. Tom Barrett introduced H.R. 9620, the Military Next-Gen Collision Avoidance Act, on November 18, making it the Michigan Republican's fifth aviation safety bill since the January 2025 midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial jet over the Potomac River that killed 67 people.

The legislation directs the Secretary of Defense to accelerate the deployment of the Airborne Collision Avoidance System–X (ACAS-X), the FAA's next-generation collision-avoidance technology, across the military aircraft fleet. ACAS-X uses combined surveillance inputs to compute resolution advisories; military and civil variants (ACAS-Xu and ACAS-Xo) remain in varying stages of fielding.

"After the Potomac River tragedy, it became clear we must identify shortcomings in how military aircraft operate alongside civilian flights and take real steps to fix them," Barrett said in announcing the bill.

The lawmaker added: "This bill helps accelerate the deployment of the next generation of collision avoidance technology across our military fleet so our pilots have the best tools available to prevent midair collisions."

What does the bill require?

H.R. 9620 tasks the Defense Secretary with advancing ACAS-X on military aircraft. It does not set a hard retrofit deadline in the press materials and leaves implementation timing to the Pentagon.

The bill joins four earlier Barrett measures aimed at closing the gap between civil and military equipage in the Washington airspace.

How does H.R. 9620 fit into Barrett's broader package?

The new bill extends a five-part legislative package Barrett has assembled since the crash:

• Military Helicopter Training Safety Act — Signed into law in December 2025, it began equipping military helicopters with Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) and ADS-B In avionics that receive broadcasts from ADS-B Out systems on other aircraft.
• Safety in Shared Skies Act — Would require ADS-B Out on every military aircraft to be tested and serviced every 90 days.
• Military ADS-B Out Loophole Act — Would bar military helicopter pilots from disabling ADS-B Out transmissions during non-sensitive portions of a mission.
• Next-Gen Collision Avoidance Act — Would require the FAA to advance ACAS-X deployment in both civilian and military fleets.

Why does ACAS-X matter operationally?

ACAS-X replaces logic used in TCAS II, which was designed before widespread ADS-B coverage and operates primarily on transponder replies. The X variants blend ADS-B, transponder and, eventually, radar data to generate resolution advisories, reducing nuisance alerts that have historically discouraged military pilots from keeping systems engaged during visual flight.

Whether the Pentagon funds broad installation on rotorcraft — where cost-per-airframe drives acquisition decisions — will determine the program's effect on dispatch rates and crew workload.

What comes next?

H.R. 9620 will be referred to the House Armed Services Committee for markup before any floor consideration. Action on Barrett's three earlier pending measures — the Safety in Shared Skies Act, Military ADS-B Out Loophole Act and Next-Gen Collision Avoidance Act — remains pending in the same chamber.

If enacted, the bill would move ACAS-X from a long-running FAA-led research effort into a mandated DoD fielding program, with downstream effects on the military avionics integrator supply chain and on training pipelines for pilots who cross between civil and military cockpits.

How many people died in the 2025 crash?

The January 2025 Potomac River collision killed 67 people aboard the commercial jet and the Army helicopter, the toll Barrett cited in his statement. The figure anchors every subsequent legislative proposal in the package.

Barrett framed the bill as a direct response: "We owe it to the 67 people who lost their lives — and to every service member and air traveler — to keep strengthening our aviation safety systems so tragedies like this never happen again."

The full text of H.R. 9620 is available on Barrett's congressional website.