Fire agencies get permanent ownership of surplus military aircraft after 10 years of use.
S. 4274 — WINGS Act · Filed by Tim Sheehy (R-MT) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Mar 26, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows the Secretary of Agriculture to permanently transfer ownership of surplus military aircraft and aircraft parts to state and local fire agencies that have borrowed them for at least 5–10 years and used them responsibly for wildfire suppression and emergency response. The agencies gain full ownership but must agree to use the equipment for public safety purposes for up to 5 years after transfer and cannot sell or export it without federal permission.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward transfer of federal surplus property to state/local fire agencies after demonstrated responsible use. It is a property-management and emergency-response measure, not a regulatory or financial carve-out.
What the text implies
- Transfer of title removes federal oversight and reclamation authority after 5 years, creating permanent loss of federal control over military-origin equipment; agencies could theoretically repurpose aircraft for non-emergency uses after the post-transfer use restriction expires.
- The bill grants the Secretary broad discretion to modify or waive post-transfer conditions on a case-by-case basis, potentially allowing commercial use or export of military equipment with minimal transparency or congressional review.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
state and local fire agencies; emergency response organizations