The article is devoted to the application of unmanned aerial vehicles to obtain the operational information about the status of oil trunk pipelines and areas along them. It is dealt with some of the problems that arise during the operation of the branched trunk pipeline systems. It is described in short the existing methods of monitoring pipelines and disadvantages of their use. The paper proposes the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles to solve the problems. It is spoken in detail about the main advantages and the characteristics of various types of UAV. The text describes some of the tasks that can be solved with the help of several types of shooting. Also, it is shown a matter of choice between creating its fleet of drones and purchase of services from third party companies. In conclusion, the article points out that use of unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring of oil trunk pipelines saves money and opens new possibilities for the safe operation of pipeline transport.
Keywords: UAV, unmanned aerial vehicle, drone, monitoring of pipelines, oil trunk pipeline, pipeline transport, technology and organization of construction, oil and gas complex, innovative technologies