Waveform and Spectrum Management for Unmanned Aerial Systems Beyond 2025

TL;DR

This paper analyzes spectrum management challenges for future UAS communications, proposing OFDM waveform optimization and dynamic spectrum access to ensure reliable, efficient connectivity amid growing UAV deployment.

Contribution

It introduces tailored OFDM waveform parameters and discusses spectrum sharing techniques to support the expanding and diverse UAV industry beyond 2025.

Findings

Small and micro UAVs will dominate US airspace by 2032.

OFDM waveform can be optimized for UAV flight characteristics.

Dynamic spectrum access is essential for future UAS communications.

Abstract

The application domains of civilian unmanned aerial systems (UASs) include agriculture, exploration, transportation, and entertainment. The expected growth of the UAS industry brings along new challenges: Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight control signaling requires low throughput, but extremely high reliability, whereas the data rate for payload data can be significant. This paper develops UAV number projections and concludes that small and micro UAVs will dominate the US airspace with accelerated growth between 2028 and 2032. We analyze the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform because it can provide the much needed flexibility, spectral efficiency, and, potentially, reliability and derive suitable OFDM waveform parameters as a function of UAV flight characteristics. OFDM also lends itself to agile spectrum access. Based on our UAV growth predictions, we conclude that dynamic spectrum access is needed and discuss the applicability of spectrum sharing techniques for future UAS communications.