Secure communications for UAV relay networks: a MPC-based trajectory tracking approach

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance communication networks, especially in scenarios where traditional infrastructure is impractical or unavailable. However, the reliance on line-of-sight channels in UAV-assisted relay networks introduces significant security vulnerabilities. This paper proposes a novel framework that jointly optimizes transmit power and UAV trajectory to achieve secure communications in such networks. To enhance system performance against environmental uncertainties, we employ a model predictive control (MPC)-based approach, which allows for real-time adaptive control of the UAV’s trajectory by considering future states and disturbances. This approach significantly improves the network’s resilience to dynamic environments and potential eavesdropping threats. Simulation results show that the proposed joint optimization of power allocation and trajectory design not only enhances communication security but also demonstrates the effectiveness of the MPC framework in real-time trajectory tracking, ensuring robust performance under varying environmental conditions.