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Communications Technology Laboratory

Public Safety Communications Research Division

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Uncrewed Aircraft Systems

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Uncrewed Aircraft Sytems

First responders frequently rely on uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to gather data and provide situational awareness in dangerous environments with degraded communications. The UAS portfolio performs research on communications technology within these systems to support the advancement and deployment of solutions that are reliable and operationally effective. Through this work, the UAS portfolio drives innovation and commercialization to improve the tools critical for myriad mission critical operations.

Portfolio Problem Statement: Public safety agencies lack validated, reliable communications using uncrewed aircraft systems to transfer telemetry and multimedia data with high fidelity for long-range emergency response.

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Portfolio Mission:

To advance the capabilities of uncrewed aircraft systems and provide safe, effective, and reliable solutions to first responder in their crucial missions by conducting cutting-edge research for emergency response operations.

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Portfolio Vision:

To lead the innovation of uncrewed aircraft system technology that supports public safety efforts in disasters or emergency situations with degraded or destroyed communications infrastructure.

Featured Project

Technology Research and Simulation Framework to Model Single-Link and Multi-UAS Communications Configurations ​

Project Goal: Develop a working simulation package that models drone mobility, long-range communications, and mesh communication behavior to support standardization of data transfer protocols for single-link or multi-UAS operating in a wildland or WUI fire for data collection and wide-area search. ​

Why it’s hard

Standards are needed for reliable drone communications and to fully address the accurate transfer of telemetry and sensor data over multi-hop relays or communications links for point-to-point, single-link, or multi-UAS long-range operations, as policy and technology advance Drone as First Responder and Beyond Visual Line of Sight.​

Technical capabilities/approach

  • Develop an open-source simulation package that models UAS mobility, long-range communications, and multi-hop mesh behavior in wildland and WUI fire scenarios​

  • Evaluate licensed (LTE, 5G) and unlicensed (900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz) communications within a large-scale simulated RF environment ​

  • Simulate point-to-point, swarm, and mesh network configurations across multi-signal, multi-device scenarios​

  • Model signal degradation, interference, and propagation effects​

  • Measure latency, packet loss, and link robustness under stress

Outcomes

  • A validated, open-source simulation framework that supports evaluation of single-link and multi-UAS communications for public safety operations.​

  • Quantitative performance data and methodologies that inform standardization of telemetry and sensor data transfer for Drone as First Responder and BVLOS operations​

  • Publish RF datasets, measurements, NIST guidelines and scenario templates that support consistent planning, testing, and evaluation of UAS communications in wildland and WUI fire environments​

  • Enable industry, researchers, and policymakers to assess emerging UAS communications technologies against public safety performance needs and interoperability expectations

Publications

Quick Resources

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Advanced communications, Public safety and Public safety communications research
Created February 13, 2023, Updated June 8, 2026
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