Bechtel and Cyberhawk Formalize Expanded Drone Monitoring Workstream to Scale iHawk on Live EPC Projects

# What changed Bechtel and Cyberhawk formalized an expanded phase of their partnership to scale drone-based construction monitoring across complex EPC projects. The work focuses on turning aerial captures into project decisions by improving how sites are surveyed, processed and analyzed so teams can act faster.

# Background The two companies have worked together since 2018. That year they and Shell ran one of the first large-scale weekly drone monitoring deployments, pairing aerial data with Cyberhawk's iHawk platform to support data-driven project execution. The expanded collaboration updates that foundation and extends it across the toolchain that converts raw drone data into operational intelligence.

# What they will do The formalized scope covers three concrete priorities: autonomous data capture, automated processing pipelines, and AI-assisted site analysis.

• Autonomous data capture: move beyond manual flights toward recurring, programmatic aerial data collection so project teams have a current view of the jobsite.
• Automated processing pipelines: establish repeatable workflows that convert raw captures into analytics and visualizations without heavy manual intervention.
• AI-assisted site analysis: apply the iHawk platform's AI to surface risk, automate analysis and generate actionable project intelligence.

# Why it matters for EPC projects Near real-time site intelligence shortens the loop between data capture and decision-making. The partners describe that current and clear views of the jobsite improve execution today and form the baseline for future automation—AI, robotics and autonomous operations inside the fence.

John Platt of Bechtel summarized the operational priority: "Advanced construction capabilities depend on having a clear and current view of the jobsite. By strengthening how we capture and use site data, we are improving execution today while enabling the next generation of automation." Matt Zafuto of Cyberhawk described the role of iHawk: "Our iHawk platform uses AI to convert drone data into actionable project intelligence, automating analysis, surfacing risk, and driving faster, smarter decisions at scale."

# In the field and in public forums Both companies said they are deploying and testing approaches on live projects rather than in purely experimental settings. They presented their latest results and practical approaches at the Energy Projects Conference and Expo 2026 in Houston (session: "Enabling AI and Automation in Construction: Building a Real-Time Understanding of the Jobsite," June 16–17, 2026).

# Practical implications for project teams

• More frequent, standardized aerial captures tied to automated processing, reducing manual data handling.
• Incremental introduction of AI analytics focused on surfacing risk and progress insights rather than replacing existing decision workflows overnight.
• A deployment-first approach where tools are proven on jobsites before being scaled across programs.

# Bottom line The expanded collaboration is a focused push to operationalize drone data across the end-to-end pipeline on live EPC projects. The explicit aims are to shorten data latency, standardize processing, and make AI-driven insights practical for construction execution and future automation.