A New Positioning Algorithm of UAV in Military Ad Hoc Networks

Background/Objectives: Due to dynamic topology change, network partitioning happens frequently in military ad hoc networks. To provide communications between partitioned networks, relay node is required to maintain connectivity in this network. Methods/Statistical analysis: As the candidate for relay node, an unmanned aerial vehicle is concerned while taking into connectivity and mobility account. In order to act as relay node, it is very important to place unmanned aerial vehicle in appropriate position. Also, since military ad hoc networks are generally constructed in hierarchical structure, an new positioning algorithm should take this issue in design. Findings: Unlike the previous positioning algorithms, which take flat network architecture, our approach is based on the clustering. The first positioning algorithm is proposed for the partitioning case with two cluster heads. According to the distance between cluster head and unmanned aerial vehicle, initial position of relay node is set. In addition, this algorithm is extended to cover case of multiple cluster heads. Simulation result demonstrates that the proposed algorithm works properly by maintaining connectivity over 98 percent as the number of cluster heads increases. Improvements/Applications: The proposed algorithm can be applied into other mobile ad hoc networks such as vehicular ad hoc networks by being integrated with the localization algorithm.