Philadelphia, PA [May 12, 2020] – American Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (AATI), leader in airborne intelligence for the oil & gas industry, announces a contract award from the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI). The contract, jointly funded by PRCI and the US DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Agency (PHMSA) is aimed at validating UAS with automated threat detection systems onboard for pipeline patrol.
The objective of this research project is validating the performance of a complete end-to-end system, operating on a long-range, long-endurance unmanned aircraft that operates over hundreds of miles of pipeline right of way (ROW) providing automated multi-threat ROW monitoring and surveillance through remote sensing systems. The project will generate data from multiple sensors deployed on aerial patrol in supporting pipeline performance and safety improvement programs. It will also provide data of value to the FAA with respect to the integration of long-range Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System.[1]
The eighteen month contract is a collaborative research effort by industry and the federal regulator of pipelines, to compare the performance of an automated threat detection and near real-time reporting system on UAS to sensors on conventional aircraft in the important task of patrolling the nation’s 500,000 miles of transmission pipelines. Staggered throughout the contract term, AATI is poised to conduct a total of eight (8) weeks of UAS flights operations over four (4) flight campaigns.
David Yoel, Principal Investigator and AATI CEO stated “It is an honor to work with PRCIand PHMSA on this important program. As the industry converges on new methods and standards for automated threat detection and reporting to increase the safety and integrity of the nation’s 500,000 miles of pipeline network, this research will accelerate the integration of the next-generation of aerial platforms into routine operations.”
Carrie Greaney, Program Manager – PRCI, stated “This project partnership with PHMSAis an important step to continue with development and adoption of unmanned systems as another critical tool to safely monitor the pipeline infrastructure.”
Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) is a non-profit research organization that is comprised of energy pipeline operating companies located in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Middle East, South America, and the United States. Augmenting the pipeline membership are associate members drawn from companies in the Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, South America, and the United States that serve the industry as pipe and equipment manufacturers, service providers, and vendors. To learn more about PRCI, visit www.prci.org.
American Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (AATI) is a real-time remote sensing services company focused on infrastructure patrol and emergency response. The company has been flying long-endurance unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace on civilian applications since 2010.
For more information contact, please contact: Nathan Ernst @ +1 (609) 675-8369,contact@americanaerospace.com