Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 authorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are suitable for commercial use to support wildfire suppression operations. This authority takes effect on October 1, 2025, and remains in place through October 1, 2035, providing a ten-year window for these sales.

The law expands the capabilities of aircraft used in firefighting by allowing them to deliver water by air to suppress wildfires, in addition to the previous authority that only permitted the delivery of fire retardant. This change gives firefighting operations more flexibility in how they combat active wildfires across the country.