Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach

Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance communication networks, especially in scenarios where traditional infrastructure is impractical or unavailable. However, the reliance on line-of-sight channels in UAV-assisted relay networks introduces significa...

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Main Authors: Shizhan Lan, Lei Zhong, Bin Tan, Yeyu Liang, Shan Chen, Hanghang Xie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-05-01
Series:EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13638-025-02454-z
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author Shizhan Lan
Lei Zhong
Bin Tan
Yeyu Liang
Shan Chen
Hanghang Xie
author_facet Shizhan Lan
Lei Zhong
Bin Tan
Yeyu Liang
Shan Chen
Hanghang Xie
author_sort Shizhan Lan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance communication networks, especially in scenarios where traditional infrastructure is impractical or unavailable. However, the reliance on line-of-sight channels in UAV-assisted relay networks introduces significant security vulnerabilities. This paper proposes a novel framework that jointly optimizes transmit power and UAV trajectory to achieve secure communications in such networks. To enhance system performance against environmental uncertainties, we employ a model predictive control (MPC)-based approach, which allows for real-time adaptive control of the UAV’s trajectory by considering future states and disturbances. This approach significantly improves the network’s resilience to dynamic environments and potential eavesdropping threats. Simulation results show that the proposed joint optimization of power allocation and trajectory design not only enhances communication security but also demonstrates the effectiveness of the MPC framework in real-time trajectory tracking, ensuring robust performance under varying environmental conditions.
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institution DOAJ
issn 1687-1499
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking
spelling doaj-art-1b5bf6dcbeb044b983556c27a574c2422025-08-20T03:09:35ZengSpringerOpenEURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking1687-14992025-05-012025111710.1186/s13638-025-02454-zSecure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approachShizhan Lan0Lei Zhong1Bin Tan2Yeyu Liang3Shan Chen4Hanghang Xie5School of Software Engineering, South China University of TechnologyChina Mobile Guangxi Co., LtdChina Mobile Guangxi Co., LtdChina Mobile Guangxi Co., LtdChina Mobile Guangxi Co., LtdChina Mobile Guangxi Co., LtdAbstract Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance communication networks, especially in scenarios where traditional infrastructure is impractical or unavailable. However, the reliance on line-of-sight channels in UAV-assisted relay networks introduces significant security vulnerabilities. This paper proposes a novel framework that jointly optimizes transmit power and UAV trajectory to achieve secure communications in such networks. To enhance system performance against environmental uncertainties, we employ a model predictive control (MPC)-based approach, which allows for real-time adaptive control of the UAV’s trajectory by considering future states and disturbances. This approach significantly improves the network’s resilience to dynamic environments and potential eavesdropping threats. Simulation results show that the proposed joint optimization of power allocation and trajectory design not only enhances communication security but also demonstrates the effectiveness of the MPC framework in real-time trajectory tracking, ensuring robust performance under varying environmental conditions.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13638-025-02454-zUAVMPCTrajectory designPower allocation
spellingShingle Shizhan Lan
Lei Zhong
Bin Tan
Yeyu Liang
Shan Chen
Hanghang Xie
Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach
EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking
UAV
MPC
Trajectory design
Power allocation
title Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach
title_full Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach
title_fullStr Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach
title_full_unstemmed Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach
title_short Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach
title_sort secure communications for uav relay networks a mpc based trajectory tracking approach
topic UAV
MPC
Trajectory design
Power allocation
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13638-025-02454-z
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