Successful Flight Tests of Drone-to-Drone Radio Communication
September 23, 2024
Successful Flight Tests of Drone-to-Drone Radio Communication
New communication technologies for establishing flying ad-hoc networks for drone-to-drone communication in the LuFo project VEREDUS
As part of the LuFo (Aviation Research Programme) project VEREDUS, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), successful flight tests were conducted in June 2024 at Globe UAV in Delbrück. These tests assessed direct drone-to-drone communication using newly developed radio devices and antenna systems. The DLR Institute of Air Transport worked closely with the project partners on this initiative. The radio devices developed during the project can be used to establish flying ad-hoc networks (FANETs), enabling highly redundant and dynamic communication between drones, which could positively impact flight safety and efficiency in future traffic scenarios. From left: Marcel Bartsch (Germandrones), Konrad Fuger (Hamburg University of Technology), Dr. Christos Oikonomopoulos-Zachos (IMST GmbH), Maximilian Laiacker (Germandrones), Dr. Koojana Kuladinithi (Hamburg University of Technology), Fabian Hesse (MediaMobil Communication GmbH), Dr. Tobias Marks (DLR Institute of Air Transport).
Successful flight tests in the LuFo project VEREDUS demonstrate the effectiveness of drone-to-drone radio communication.
Drone flight tests were conducted at Globe UAV in Delbrück in collaboration with the project partners IMST, Hamburg University of Technology, Germandrones, Globe UAV, MediaMobil, f.u.n.k.e. AVIONICS, NavCert, and the DLR Institute of Air Transport. Pictured: Songbird from Germandrones.
Successful flight tests in the LuFo project VEREDUS demonstrate the effectiveness of drone-to-drone radio communication.
Drone flight tests were conducted at Globe UAV in Delbrück in collaboration with the project partners IMST, Hamburg University of Technology, Germandrones, Globe UAV, MediaMobil, f.u.n.k.e. AVIONICS, NavCert, and the DLR Institute of Air Transport. Pictured: Multicopter from Globe UAV.
Successful survey flights with newly developed communication technologies – radio devices and antennas – have been completed
Use cases: Independent communication, redundant data transmission, and local situational awareness.
Flight Tests Confirm the Effectiveness of Drone-to-Drone Radio Communication
Within the framework of the BMWK-funded LuFo project VEREDUS, successful flight tests were carried out to verify the performance of the radio devices and antennas developed in the project for establishing flying ad-hoc networks (FANETs). The DLR Institute of Air Transport collaborated closely with project partners IMST, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH, Institute of Communication Networks), Germandrones, Globe UAV, MediaMobil, f.u.n.k.e. AVIONICS, and NavCert. The innovative devices aim to enhance flight safety and efficiency through a highly redundant and dynamic communication network between drones.
Independent and Redundant Communication Infrastructure
A FANET provides an independent communication channel that operates without ground infrastructure, allowing operators to communicate with drones via so-called multi-hop connections between multiple drones. This is particularly important in scenarios where primary communication channels fail or satellite connections are disrupted. Due to the redundant and dynamic structure of the FANET, data can still be transmitted even if individual drones within the communication network fail.
Autonomous Flight Control and Situational Awareness
Each drone can share its position and other relevant data with all other drones in the network, enabling the creation of a situational picture that can be used for collision avoidance or autonomous flight control. Authorities and operators can also connect to the network to obtain a comprehensive situational overview.
Survey Flights and Initial Results
The initial flight tests focused on survey flights with prototypes of the radio devices and antennas, which were developed under the VEREDUS project leadership of IMST GmbH in collaboration with project partners and the DLR. During the flight tests at Globe UAV in Delbrück, two in-flight units and a ground station were used to assess the range and directional dependence of the radio devices and antennas by flying specific patterns. Additionally, the reliability of the radio connections was assessed based on the transmitted data packets. The interplay of hardware and software in the developed systems was successfully tested during the preliminary test flights. Further test flights, focusing on multi-hop connections, are planned for the end of the year.
Air Traffic Simulation in VEREDUS
The tasks of the DLR Institute of Air Transport in the VEREDUS project include the creation and analysis of air traffic simulations. A specially developed software tool simulates drone flight movements in urban areas and determines possible trajectories of the individual vehicles. The generated data is fed into a network simulation at Hamburg University of Technology, which simulates data traffic in the FANET. This interaction provides important insights into the performance of the ad-hoc network and helps define requirements for hardware and software.
