Chemical accident area reconnaissance by unmanned aircraft

Chemical accidents, as unexpected events, occur in contemporary society relatively often, and the resulting consequences can be different - from very small to catastrophic. Within the integrated response to chemical accidents, chemical reconnaissance of the accident area takes a significant place. This paper presents the possibility of prioritizing the criteria and attributes of the criterion for selecting unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance of the chemical accident area. By analyzing the content of the available literature, the criteria for evaluating the alternatives of the offered 'miniunmanned aircraft' are set out. This paper deals with testing using the questionnaire, processing the obtained data and prioritization of the criteria and attributes using the fuzzy AHP method and examination of the results consistency by the consistency degree. Testing of the obtained results and selection of optimal unmanned aircraft using the TOPSIS method has been carried out, as well. Due to the extreme danger that personnel are exposed to during the chemical reconnaissance of the accident area (high concentrations of dangerous chemicals, long-term wearing of protective equipment, increased psychophysical stress, etc.), this paper considers the possibility of using unmanned aircraft. Furthermore, this paper suggests the way of selecting optimal UA as an element for reconnaissance in a particular chemical accident.