Chevron Pipe Line Company (CPL), a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, in collaboration with American Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (AATI), has achieved a significant milestone in unmanned aircraft surveillance.
The companies have received a first-of-its-kind waiver from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct unmanned aircraft surveillance in the San Joaquin Valley using the AiRanger Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).
The AiRanger UAS, designed by AATI, is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of long-range operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
It weighs 99.79 kilograms, has a wingspan of about 5.49 metres, and can fly over 1,126.75 kilometres and up to 17 hours at up to 5,181.6 metres.
The system’s capabilities were demonstrated during flight operations in Buttonwillow, California, in October 2023.
Following the successful demonstration and FAA observed testing, the Agency issued a 91.113 Waiver and granted a 44807 Exemption, authorising AATI to utilise the onboard detect and avoid system to comply with aircraft right-of-way rules when operating BVLOS.
This makes AiRanger the first UAS to demonstrate compliance with industry consensus standards for the DAA system and reach this milestone.
Stephanie Beveridge, president of CPL said: “CPL and AATI have been on a journey since 2019 to develop an aerial patrol solution with technology that advances safe, reliable, and cost-effective routine facility inspections and pipeline system surveillance.
“Through collaboration with the FAA, we are working to do just that in the San Joaquin Valley.”
David Yoel, CEO of American Aerospace Technology, Inc., said: “For the first time, an unmanned aircraft weighing more than 55 pounds that flies above 400 feet and beyond visual line of sight has been approved for commercial operations in the U.S. This initial Waiver and Exemption spans over 4,000 square miles at up to 8,000 feet MSL, opening a new era in unmanned aviation in the National Airspace System.”
The AiRanger UAS operations will help transform routine oil and gas pipeline surveillance and inspections required by the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Agency (PHMSA) using automated intelligence solutions.
Chevron’s project manager for the UAS initiative and digital advisor for operations, Roy Martinez, emphasised Chevron’s commitment to exploring and implementing emerging technologies to further Chevron’s purpose of developing affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy that enables human progress.
CPL and AATI have been supported by End State Solutions, LLC, to build collaborative solutions with key regulatory agencies that enable safe operations for emerging technology and new uses for autonomous aerospace technology.
