Sec. 224. ASSESSMENT AND CORRECTION OF DEFICIENCIES IN THE PILOT BREATHING SYSTEMS OF TACTICAL FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

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## SEC. 224 ASSESSMENT AND CORRECTION OF DEFICIENCIES IN THE PILOT BREATHING SYSTEMS OF TACTICAL FIGHTER AIRCRAFT ###

(a)Testing and Evaluation Required Beginning not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall commence operational testing and evaluation of each fleet of tactical fighter aircraft (including each type and model variant of aircraft within the fleet) that uses the Onboard Oxygen Generating System for the pilot breathing system (in this section referred to as the “breathing system”) to— ####

(1)determine whether the breathing system complies with Military Standard 3050 (MIL-STD-3050), titled “Aircraft Crew Breathing Systems Using On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS)”; and ####

(2)assess the safety and effectiveness of the breathing system for all pilots of the aircraft fleet tested. ###

(b)Requirements The following shall apply to the testing and evaluation conducted for an aircraft fleet under subsection (a): ####

(1)The F-35 aircraft fleet shall be the first aircraft fleet tested and evaluated, and such testing and evaluation shall include F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C aircraft. ####

(2)The pilot, aircraft systems, and operational flight environment of the aircraft shall not be assessed in isolation but shall be tested and evaluated as integrated parts of the breathing system. ####

(3)The testing and evaluation shall be conducted under a broad range of operating conditions, including variable weather conditions, low-altitude flight, high-altitude flight, during weapons employment, at critical phases of flight such as take-off and landing, and in other challenging environments and operating flight conditions. ####

(4)The testing and evaluation shall assess operational flight environments for the pilot that replicate expected conditions and durations for high gravitational force loading, rapid changes in altitude, rapid changes in airspeed, and varying degrees of moderate gravitational force loading. ####

(5)A diverse group of pilots shall participate in the testing and evaluation, including— #####

(A)pilots who are test-qualified and pilots who are not test-qualified; and #####

(B)pilots who vary in gender, physical conditioning, height, weight, and age, and any other attributes that the Secretary determines to be appropriate. ####

(6)Aircraft involved in the testing and evaluation shall perform operations with operationally representative and realistic aircraft configurations. ####

(7)The testing and evaluation shall include assessments of pilot life support gear and relevant equipment, including the pilot breathing mask apparatus. ####

(8)The testing and evaluation shall include testing data from pilot reports, measurements of breathing pressures and air delivery response timing and flow, cabin pressure, air-speed, acceleration, measurements of hysteresis during all phases of flight, measurements of differential pressure between mask and cabin altitude, and measurements of spirometry and specific oxygen saturation levels of the pilot immediately before and immediately after each flight. ####

(9)The analysis of the safety and effectiveness of the breathing system shall thoroughly assess any physiological effects reported by pilots, including effects on health, fatigue, cognition, and perception of any breathing difficulty. ####

(10)The testing and evaluation shall include the participation of subject matter experts who have familiarity and technical expertise regarding design and functions of the aircraft, its propulsion system, pilot breathing system, life support equipment, human factors, and any other systems or subject matter the Secretary determines necessary to conduct effective testing and evaluation. At a minimum, such subject matter experts shall include aerospace physiologists, engineers, flight surgeons, and scientists. ####

(11)In carrying out the testing and evaluation, the Secretary of Defense may seek technical support and subject matter expertise from the Naval Air Systems Command, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and any other organization or element of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, determines appropriate to support the testing and evaluation. ###

(c)Corrective Actions Not later than 90 days after the submittal of a final report under subsection

(e)for an aircraft fleet, the Secretary of Defense shall take such actions as are necessary to correct all deficiencies, shortfalls, and gaps in the breathing system that were discovered or reported as a result of the testing and evaluation of such aircraft fleet under subsection (a). ###

(d)Preliminary Reports ####

(1)In general Not later than the date specified in paragraph (2), for each aircraft fleet tested and evaluated under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a separate preliminary report, based on the initial results of such testing and evaluation, that includes— #####

(A)the initial findings and recommendations of the Secretary; #####

(B)potential corrective actions that the Secretary of Defense may carry out to address deficiencies in the breathing system of the aircraft tested; and #####

(C)the results of initial review and assessment, conducted by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for purposes of the report, of— ######

(i)the testing and evaluation plans, execution, processes, data, and technical results of the testing and evaluation activities under subsection (a); and ######

(ii)the initial findings, recommendations, and potential corrective actions determined by the Secretary of Defense under subparagraphs

(A)and (B). ####

(2)Date specified The date specified in this paragraph is the earlier of— #####

(A)a date selected by the Secretary of the Air Force that is not later than 180 days after the testing and evaluation of the aircraft fleet under subsection

(a)has been completed; or #####

(B)one year after the commencement of the testing and evaluation of the aircraft fleet under subsection (a). ###

(e)Final Reports Not later than two years after the commencement of the testing and evaluation under subsection

(a)for an aircraft fleet, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a final report on the results of such testing with respect to such aircraft fleet that includes, based on the final results of such testing and evaluation— ####

(1)findings and recommendations with respect to the breathing system; and ####

(2)a description of the specific actions the Secretary will carry out to correct deficiencies in the breathing system, as required under subsection (c). ###

(f)Independent Review of Final Report ####

(1)In general The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center with relevant expertise to conduct an independent sufficiency review of the final reports submitted under subsection (e). ####

(2)Report to secretary Not later than seven months after the date on which the Secretary of Defense enters into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center under paragraph (1), the center shall submit to the Secretary a report on the results of the review conducted under such paragraph. ####

(3)Report to congress Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense receives the report under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall submit the report to the congressional defense committees.