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Senate approves bill inspired by DC plane crash to ensure military aircraft will broadcast location
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Ted Cruz R-Texas, left, speaks during a signing ceremony regarding AI initiatives with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. - photo by AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The Senate moved quickly Wednesday afternoon to close a loophole that could allow military aircraft to fly without broadcasting their locations just like an Army helicopter was doing last January before it collided with an airliner over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. Just hours after passing a massive defense bill that included the worrisome provisions about military flights, the Senate approved a bipartisan bill that will require all aircraft use ADS-B technology — or Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast technology — to broadcast their locations. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said that “tragedy could have been avoided” if the Army Black Hawk had been using its ADS-B system to broadcast its location before the crash, and this bill should save lives.