Model for Assessing Control Continuity in a Group of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Automatic and Manual Control Modes

A. A. Medvedev¹

¹Military Telecommunications Academy.

DOI 10.24412/2410-9916-2026-3-198-238

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Abstract

Purpose. The effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) employment is determined not only by their flight performance characteristics but also by the stability of the radio control channels used to transmit control commands, telemetry, service information, and video data. When several UAVs are employed simultaneously, the load on the radio channel and the demand for the available frequency resources increase. A particularly significant increase in throughput requirements occurs when one or more UAVs are switched to manual control because video streams and manual control commands must be transmitted. With limited frequency resources, this may degrade video quality, increase command transmission delay, and create a risk of losing stable control of individual UAVs. The purpose of this study is to develop a model for assessing control continuity in a UAV group based on local radio-channel quality coefficients that reflect compliance with throughput, message delivery delay, and bit error probability requirements at different mission stages. Methods. The control process is represented as a sequence of stages. For each stage, normalized partial coefficients are calculated to characterize compliance with the requirements for throughput, message delivery delay, and bit error probability. The maximum throughput is determined using a modified Shannon formula that accounts for the allocated bandwidth, the signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio, and the radio-channel utilization factor. A composite assessment is obtained by multiplicative aggregation of the partial coefficients. Novelty. A stage-based model for assessing control continuity in a UAV group has been developed. The model jointly accounts for the control mode actually used, limited frequency resources, the allocated bandwidth, achievable and required throughput, message delivery delay, and bit error probability. It provides a normalized, non-binary assessment of control continuity for both an individual UAV and the group as a whole. Results. A computational model has been developed that provides a normalized, non-binary assessment of control continuity in a UAV group over a sequence of mission stages. The resulting integral indicator ranges from 0 to 1 and characterizes the degree of compliance with the requirements imposed on the group's radio control channels. An indicator value close to 1 corresponds to a high degree of compliance with the throughput, message delivery delay, and bit error probability requirements, whereas a value close to 0 indicates a substantial decrease in this degree of compliance. Practical relevance. The model can be used to compare communication arrangements, justify the allocation of frequency resources, select control modes, and identify the conditions under which switching a UAV to manual control reduces radio-channel quality.

Key words

unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV group, control continuity, radio control channel, frequency resources, throughput, delay, bit error probability, integral indicator, tactical command level.

Reference for citation

Medvedev A. A. Model for Assessing Control Continuity in a Group of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Automatic and Manual Control Modes. Systems of Control, Communication and Security, 2026, no. 3, pp. 198-238. DOI: 10.24412/2410-9916-2026-3-198-238 (in Russian).

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