Efficient energy-aware multi-UAV placement in flying networks

Abstract Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as key enablers in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) to provide flexible wireless coverage, particularly in infrastructure-limited scenarios. In our previous work, we proposed the Sustainable multi-UAV Performance-aware Placement (SUPPLY) algorithm, a pioneering solution for the energy-efficient placement of multiple UAVs acting as Flying Access Points (FAPs). SUPPLY ensures continuous Ground User (GU) coverage while minimizing propulsion energy consumption. However, its quadratic time complexity in the GU grouping phase imposes scalability constraints, especially in larger time-sensitive scenarios. In this paper, we propose eSUPPLY, a computationally efficient enhancement to SUPPLY. By increasing the step size between candidate Flying Access Point (FAP) positions during the GU grouping phase, eSUPPLY significantly reduces the size of the optimization problem. Simulation results demonstrate up to a 97% reduction in execution time, with only a marginal increase in the number of FAPs and energy consumption, while maintaining network performance, enabling real-time operation in larger and more dynamic Flying Networks (FNs) compared to the SUPPLY algorithm.