Coverage Predection for Aerial Relay Systems based on the Common Data Link using ITU Models

In this paper, we predicted the propagation loss for the air-to-ground (A2G) channel between the ground control system and the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using the prediction model for the aircraft recommended by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). We analyzed the network coverage of the aerial relay system based on the medium altitude UAVs by expanding it into the air-to-air (A2A) channel. Climate and geographic factors in Korea were used to predict propagation loss due to atmospheres. We used the measured data published by the Telecommunication Technology Association (TTA) for regional rainfall-rate and effective earth radius factors to increase accuracy. In addition, the aerial relay communication system used the key parameter of the common data link (CDL) system developed in Korea recently. Prediction results show that the network coverage of the aerial relay system broadens at higher altitude.