over potential adversaries must be maintained with 
sustained and focused research and development. 
(6) NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Direc-
torate’s six strategic thrusts (safe, efficient growth 
in global operations; innovation in commercial super-
sonic aircraft; ultra-efficient commercial vehicles; 
transition to low-carbon propulsion; real-time, sys-
tem-wide safety assurance; and assured autonomy 
for aviation transformation) are effective and nec-
essary research areas for the development of next 
generation aeronautics technology that will preserve 
the United States lead in the global aviation indus-
try. 
(7) Continued progress in the science and tech-
nology of aeronautics is crucial to the United States 
sustained economic success and the protection of the 
United States security interests at home and around 
the world, as acknowledged in the 2006 National 
Aeronautics Research and Development Policy. To 
ensure Federal efforts remain on a disciplined path 
to meet national objectives, the Director of the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy is responsible 
for the implementation and biennial review of the 
Nation’s aeronautics research and development plan. 
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(8) We need an aeronautics program worthy of 
the United States of America and capable of meet-
ing our 21st century challenges. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of NASA. 
(2) AERONAUTICS
STRATEGIC
IMPLEMENTA-
TION PLAN.—The term ‘‘Aeronautics Strategic Im-
plementation Plan’’ means the Aeronautics Strategic 
Implementation Plan issued by the NASA Aero-
nautics Research Mission Directorate. 
(3) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Armed Services, 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Armed 
Services, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, and the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the Senate. 
(4) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
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SEC. 4. EXPERIMENTAL PLANE PROGRAMS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) developing high-risk, precompetitive aero-
space technology for which there is not yet a profit 
rationale is a fundamental NASA role; 
(2) near-full-scale to full-scale vehicle flight test 
experimentation and validation are necessary for— 
(A) transitioning new technologies to com-
mercial and military aeronautics use; and 
(B) capturing the full breadth of benefits 
from the Aeronautics Research Mission Direc-
torate’s investments in priority programs called 
for in— 
(i) the National Aeronautics Research 
and Development Plan issued by the Na-
tional Science and Technology Council in 
February 2010; 
(ii) the NASA 2014 Strategic Plan; 
and 
(iii) the Aeronautics Strategic Imple-
mentation Plan; 
(3) a level of funding that adequately supports 
full-scale experimentation and related infrastructure 
must be assured over a sustained period of time to 
restore NASA’s capacity to see legacy priority pro-
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grams through to completion and achieve national 
economic and security objectives; 
(4) NASA should establish a long-term goal of 
increasing its Aeronautics research spending, over 
time, to 10 percent of its overall budget; and 
(5) NASA’s gradual completion of Next Gen-
eration Air Transportation System tools and tech-
nologies will allow NASA to refocus its resources on 
its traditional studies of the problems of flight with 
a view to their practical solutions. 
(b) NATIONAL POLICY.—It is the policy of the United 
States to maintain world leadership in air power projection 
and industrial aviation leadership, and to this end one of 
the fundamental objectives of NASA aeronautics research 
is the steady progression and expansion of high-speed 
flight capabilities, including the underlying aerothermo-
dynamics, high temperature structures, propulsion, and 
flight controls science and technologies. 
(c) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAMS.—NASA shall 
establish the following full-scale technology, experimental 
flight research, multidisciplinary, and revolutionary con-
cepts programs to demonstrate innovative advances in aer-
onautics and aviation and the feasibility of transformative 
ideas and concepts: 
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(1) A low-boom supersonic aircraft program, to 
demonstrate supersonic aircraft designs and tech-
nologies that reduce sonic boom noise to levels that 
will encourage the repeal of domestic and inter-
national bans on commercial supersonic flight over-
land. 
(2) Three subsonic flight programs, from 
among the ultra-efficient X-Plane and hybrid-electric 
X-Plane programs, each centered around a set of 
new configuration concepts or technologies deter-
mined by the Administrator of NASA, to— 
(A) enable significant increases in energy 
efficiency and lower life cycle emissions in the 
aviation system; 
(B) demonstrate transformative propulsion 
systems, as described in the 3rd and 4th stra-
tegic thrusts of the Aeronautics Strategic Im-
plementation Plan (ultra-efficient commercial 
vehicles and the transition to low-carbon pro-
pulsion); 
(C) introduce and integrate a progression 
of technologies and systems enabling trans-
formative levels of environmental-related per-
formance improvements in the next generations 
of large civil air transports; and 
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(D) culminate in large-scale X-Plane dem-
onstrations. 
(3) An unmanned aircraft operations program 
that— 
(A) researches, develops, and tests capa-
bilities and concepts for integrating unmanned 
aircraft systems into the national airspace sys-
tem; 
(B) advances technologies for a future un-
manned aircraft traffic management system for 
low altitude operations; 
(C) advances technologies for unmanned 
vehicles and informs airworthiness requirements 
for all categories of unmanned systems; 
(D) benefits industry, especially as oper-
ations transition to more autonomous systems; 
and 
(E) is consistent with national safety and 
national security objectives. 
(d) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—For each of the pro-
grams established under subsection (c), NASA shall— 
(1) include development of experimental aircraft 
(X-Plane), experimental systems (X-System), mul-
tiple technologies, and all necessary supporting flight 
assets; 
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(2) pursue a robust technology maturation and 
flight validation program that addresses challenges 
in technology development and maturation; 
(3) improve necessary facilities and flight test-
ing capabilities to support the program; 
(4) coordinate demonstrations with the aviation 
community, the armed services, and the Defense Ad-
vanced Research Projects Agency; and 
(5) ensure that the program remains aligned 
with the Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan. 
(e) CROWDSOURCING PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 
establish a crowdsourcing pilot program to allow 
NASA to experiment with the crowdsourcing of early 
stage experimental aerospace vehicle design work. 
(2) MECHANISM.—As part of such program, 
NASA shall establish a mechanism from which to 
crowdsource the preliminary designs of advanced 
aerospace vehicles that will increase the speed, 
range, capacity, safety, and affordability of aero-
space 
transportation, 
such 
as 
supersonic 
or 
hypersonic aircraft. 
(3) PRIVATE
SECTOR
EXPERTS.—NASA may 
work with private sector subject matter experts in 
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crowdsourcing to assist in the development of the 
pilot program. 
(4) SUNSET.—This pilot program shall termi-
nate 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(5) REPORT.—NASA shall report to the appro-
priate congressional committees at the end of the 
pilot program to communicate lessons learned under 
the program and make recommendations for how 
benefits of crowdsourcing may be more broadly ap-
plied to NASA objectives. 
SEC. 5. HYPERSONICS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Nation’s understanding of hypersonic tech-
nologies and weapons will play an increasingly important 
role in our national security. Maintaining United States 
preeminence in hypersonics research and development is 
key to our military’s ability to project power and defend 
the homeland as our adversaries also seek to develop 
hypersonic capabilities. 
(b) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States to 
maintain a clear and consistent commitment to a dis-
ciplined research, development, and testing strategy to 
bring hypersonic technology to maturity on a schedule that 
sustains the United States strategic military edge. 
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(c) 
JOINT
TECHNOLOGY
OFFICE
ON 
HYPERSONICS.—Section 218 of the John Warner Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 
(Public Law 109–364; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note), as most re-
cently amended by section 1079(f) of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114– 
192; 129 Stat. 999), is amended by striking subsections 
(c) through (e) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In carrying out the pro-
gram required by subsection (b), the joint technology of-
fice established under subsection (a) shall do the following: 
‘‘(1) Coordinate and integrate current and fu-
ture research, development, test, and evaluation pro-
grams and system demonstration programs of the 
Department of Defense on hypersonics. 
‘‘(2) Undertake appropriate actions to ensure— 
‘‘(A) close and continuous integration of 
the programs on hypersonics of the military de-
partments with the programs on hypersonics 
across the Federal Government; and 
‘‘(B) that both foundational research and 
developmental testing resources are adequate 
and robustly funded, and that facilities are 
made available in a timely manner to support 
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hypersonics research, demonstration programs, 
and system development. 
‘‘(3) Approve demonstration programs on hy-
personic systems to speed operational applications. 
‘‘(4) Ensure that any demonstration program 
on hypersonic systems that is carried out in any 
year after its approval under paragraph (3) is car-
ried out only if certified under subsection (e) as 
being consistent with the roadmap under subsection 
(d). 
‘‘(5) Develop a well-defined path for hypersonic 
technologies to transition to operational capabilities 
for the warfighter. 
‘‘(d) ROADMAP.— 
‘‘(1) ROADMAP
REQUIRED.—The joint tech-
nology office established under subsection (a) shall 
develop and maintain a roadmap for the hypersonics 
programs of the Department of Defense. The Sec-
retary of Defense shall ensure that all elements of 
the roadmap are updated to reflect changes in na-
tional hypersonics assessments and needs not less 
than once every two years. 
‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—The roadmap shall be 
developed and updated under paragraph (1) in co-
ordination with— 
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‘‘(A) the Joint Staff; 
‘‘(B) the National Security Council; 
‘‘(C) the Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration; 
‘‘(D) the Director of the Office of Science 
and Technology Policy; 
‘‘(E) the Director of the Defense Advanced 
Research Projects Agency; and 
‘‘(F) the Director of National Intelligence. 
‘‘(3) ELEMENTS.—The roadmap shall include 
the following matters: 
‘‘(A) Anticipated or potential mission re-
quirements for offensive hypersonics systems 
and defenses against hypersonics systems of po-
tential adversaries. 
‘‘(B) Short-term, mid-term, and long-term 
goals for Department of Defense hypersonics, 
which shall be consistent with the missions and 
anticipated requirements of the Department 
over the applicable period. 
‘‘(C) A schedule for meeting such goals, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(i) the activities and funding antici-
pated to be required for meeting such 
goals; and 
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