The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to mandate the use of ADS-B In technology for virtually all aircraft in civilian airspace, people familiar with the matter said, a sweeping safety requirement that regulators have debated since a deadly midair collision in Washington, D.C., more than a year ago.
The technology has two components. ADS-B Out broadcasts an aircraft’s location, direction and callsign. ADS-B In receives that information from other aircraft and displays it to pilots. The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that aircraft carry both components for about 20 years. The FAA previously required only ADS-B Out.
The Jan. 29, 2025, collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people. According to the NTSB, the military helicopter was not broadcasting its location via ADS-B Out and was not using ADS-B In. The regional jet was broadcasting its location but was not equipped with ADS-B In.
The potential new mandate is expected to apply to military and other aircraft across wider swaths of U.S. civilian airspace, the people said. The scope and implementation timeline are not final, and officials cautioned the plan could change. In recent weeks, FAA chief Bryan Bedford has charged agency officials with drafting a measure that would skip a potentially lengthy public-comment period typical in federal rulemaking, according to the people.
Cost has been a point of contention. Retrofitting an aircraft with ADS-B In can cost $50,000 or more, industry officials said, though cheaper systems that run on pilots’ tablet computers are available. The House and Senate have each produced competing bills on safety fixes after the crash, but lawmakers have not reached a compromise. Some of those bills differ on how much flexibility operators would have to comply and whether airlines should be required to make costly cockpit retrofits.
An FAA spokeswoman said the agency has not made a final decision on issuing an ADS-B mandate and that it “has always looked at, and will continue to look at, all opportunities to enhance the safety” of the nation’s airspace. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, speaking to reporters in mid-June, said she was pleased with the FAA’s work and added: “There’s lots of opportunity to act.”