SwarmRaft: Leveraging Consensus for Robust Drone Swarm Coordination in GNSS-Degraded Environments

TL;DR

SwarmRaft introduces a blockchain-inspired consensus framework using the Raft algorithm to enable UAV swarms to maintain coordination and data integrity in GNSS-degraded environments, enhancing robustness and fault tolerance.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel decentralized positioning and consensus system for drone swarms that operates effectively without GNSS signals, using Raft-based agreement mechanisms.

Findings

Successfully maintains swarm coherence during GNSS signal loss

Demonstrates robustness and fault tolerance in simulated environments

Provides a scalable, lightweight communication model for UAV coordination

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms are increasingly used in critical applications such as aerial mapping, environmental monitoring, and autonomous delivery. However, the reliability of these systems is highly dependent on uninterrupted access to the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals, which can be disrupted in real-world scenarios due to interference, environmental conditions, or adversarial attacks, causing disorientation, collision risks, and mission failure. This paper proposes SwarmRaft, a blockchain-inspired positioning and consensus framework for maintaining coordination and data integrity in UAV swarms operating under GNSS-denied conditions. SwarmRaft leverages the Raft consensus algorithm to enable distributed drones (nodes) to agree on state updates such as location and heading, even in the absence of GNSS signals for one or more nodes. In our prototype, each node uses GNSS and local sensing, and communicates over WiFi in a simulated swarm. Upon signal loss, consensus is used to reconstruct or verify the position of the failed node based on its last known state and trajectory. Our system demonstrates robustness in maintaining swarm coherence and fault tolerance through a lightweight, scalable communication model. This work offers a practical and secure foundation for decentralized drone operation in unpredictable environments.