Key wireless communication technologies to support traffic management systems of unmanned aerial vehicles for civil application (review of foreign literature)

Abstract

Not less than one hundred thousand Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are expected to perform flights simultaneously in Russia by 2035. The UAV fleet capacity triggers the development of the systems for informational support, operating control and management of UAV flights (Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) systems) similar to that one already operating in manned aviation. The challenges arising in the sphere of civil aviation cannot be solved without wireless communication. The goals of this article are as follows: 1) familiarization of communication experts with the latest scientific developments of unmanned aerial technologies 2) description of the telecommunication-related problems of extensive systems of UAV control encountered by development engineers. In this article a schematic architecture and main functions of UTM systems are described as well as the examples of their implementation. Special emphasis is put on enhancing flight safety by means of a rational choice of communication technologies to manage conflicts (Conflict Management) known as "collision avoidance". The article analyzes the application of a wide range of wireless technologies ranging from Wi-Fi and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) to 5G cellular networks as well as cell-free networks contributing to the development of 6G communication networks. As a result of the analysis, a list of promising research trends at the intersection of the fields of wireless communication and UAVs for civil application is made.