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Advancements and Applications of UAV Communications with RF, Microwave, and mmWave Techniques

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 4500

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gia Khanh Tran

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
2. Academy for Super Smart Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
Interests: MIMO; mmWave; mesh networks; beyond 5G cellular networks; machine learning；wireless communications；wireless power transmission；resource optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as pivotal tools across various industries, ranging from the military and surveillance to agriculture and disaster management. This Special Issue (SI) explores the recent advancements and applications of UAV communications, focusing on the integration of Radio Frequency (RF), microwave, and millimeter-wave (mmWave) techniques. The evolution of communication technologies has significantly enhanced UAV capabilities, enabling robust and reliable data transmission for real-time surveillance, remote sensing, and collaborative mission execution. This SI delves into the challenges and opportunities associated with employing RF, microwave, and mmWave frequencies for UAV communication, addressing issues such as signal attenuation, interference, and bandwidth constraints. Furthermore, it highlights innovative solutions and engineering strategies that leverage these frequency bands to optimize communication performance, extend operational ranges, and enhance data transfer rates. The applications discussed encompass a wide array of sectors, including agriculture, environmental monitoring, disaster response, and communication relay in areas with limited infrastructure. The synthesis of cutting-edge research findings and practical case studies offers valuable insights into the ongoing transformation of UAV communication technologies, paving the way for more efficient and versatile UAV deployments across diverse domains.

Dr. Gia Khanh Tran
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • millimeter-wave techniques for UAVs
  • beyond 5G/6G
  • NTNs including UAVs
  • microwave techniques for UAVs
  • UAV trajectories
  • UAV edge caching
  • UAV distributed computing

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3887 KiB  
Article
A Low-Computational-Complexity Digital Predistortion Model for Wideband Power Amplifier
by Xu Lu, Qiang Zhou, Lei Zhu, Zhihu Wei, Yaqi Wu, Zunyan Liu and Zhang Chen
Sensors 2024, 24(21), 6941; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24216941 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1011
Abstract
This paper proposes a Composition Piecewise Memory Polynomial (CPMP) digital predistortion model based on a Vector Switched (VS) behavioral model to address the challenges of severe nonlinearity and strong memory effects in wideband power amplifiers (PAs). To tackle this issue, two thresholds are [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a Composition Piecewise Memory Polynomial (CPMP) digital predistortion model based on a Vector Switched (VS) behavioral model to address the challenges of severe nonlinearity and strong memory effects in wideband power amplifiers (PAs). To tackle this issue, two thresholds are calculated and used to segment the envelope values of the input signal according to the nonlinear distortion characteristics of the PA. In this approach, a Generalized Memory Polynomial (GMP) model is employed for the lower segment, a Memory Polynomial (MP) model is employed for the middle segment, and a higher-order GMP model is employed for the upper segment. By sharing the fundamental MP among the proposed segmented models and leveraging a design methodology that configures different cross terms, memory depths, and polynomial orders for each segment, this model achieves superior linearization performance while simultaneously reducing the computational complexity associated with model extraction. The experimental results demonstrate that the adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) of the predistorted PA output signal using the proposed model improves from −36 dBc to −54 dBc, matching the performance of the GMP model. Furthermore, this performance is 0.5 dBc better than the Piecewise Dynamic Deviation Reduction (PDDR) and Decomposed Vector Rotation (DVR) models. Notably, the complexity of the proposed parameter extraction process is 28.8% of the DVR model, 21.79% of the GMP model, and 12.83% of the PDDR model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements and Applications of UAV Communications with RF, Microwave, and mmWave Techniques)
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13 pages, 9350 KiB  
Article
Research on Mobile Network Parameters Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
by Jan Warczek, Jarosław Kozuba, Marek Marcisz, Wiesław Pamuła and Krzysztof Dyl
Sensors 2024, 24(17), 5526; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24175526 - 26 Aug 2024
Viewed by 782
Abstract
The study of phenomena related to the propagation of electromagnetic waves is a necessity with the development of mobile telephony networks. This paper deals with the problem of the quality of mobile telephony signals. The study uses a BTS scanner, dedicated to scanning [...] Read more.
The study of phenomena related to the propagation of electromagnetic waves is a necessity with the development of mobile telephony networks. This paper deals with the problem of the quality of mobile telephony signals. The study uses a BTS scanner, dedicated to scanning the frequency spectrum and decoding information from base stations. The device is capable of scanning mobile networks from the second, third, fourth, and fifth generation (2G/3G/4G/5G) using a passive sensor. The article presents preliminary results of monitoring cellular network signals using a scanner mounted on an unmanned aircraft. The collected data call for the need to evaluate the signal parameters of the cellular network depending on the altitude of signal reception. This property emerges as very important in the case of areas with a high level of urbanization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements and Applications of UAV Communications with RF, Microwave, and mmWave Techniques)
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17 pages, 18006 KiB  
Article
Multi-IRS-Assisted mmWave UAV-BS Network for Coverage Extension
by Sota Yamamoto, Jin Nakazato and Gia Khanh Tran
Sensors 2024, 24(6), 2006; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24062006 - 21 Mar 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2182
Abstract
In the era of Industry 5.0, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) offer promising avenues for economic growth and solutions to societal challenges. Digital twin technology is important for real-time three-dimensional space reproduction in [...] Read more.
In the era of Industry 5.0, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) offer promising avenues for economic growth and solutions to societal challenges. Digital twin technology is important for real-time three-dimensional space reproduction in this transition, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can support it. While recent studies have explored the potential applications of UAVs in nonterrestrial networks (NTNs), bandwidth limitations have restricted their utility. This paper addresses these constraints by integrating millimeter wave (mmWave) technology into UAV networks for high-definition video transmission. Specifically, we focus on coordinating intelligent reflective surfaces (IRSs) and UAV networks to extend coverage while maintaining virtual line-of-sight (LoS) conditions essential for mmWave communication. We present a novel approach for integrating IRS into Beyond 5G/6G networks to enhance high-speed communication coverage. Our proposed IRS selection method ensures optimal communication paths between UAVs and user equipment (UE). We perform numerical analysis in a realistically modeled 3D urban environment to validate our approach. Our results demonstrate significant improvements in the received SNR for multiple UEs upon the introduction of IRSs, and they confirm the feasibility of coverage extension in mmWave UAV networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements and Applications of UAV Communications with RF, Microwave, and mmWave Techniques)
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