Multiple UAV-based FSO System with Opportunistic Relay Selection over Malaga Turbulence Channel

Abstract

Utilizing unmanned-aerial-vehicle (UAV)-based FSO communication can enhance the capability of current network infrastructure by adding wide range of capabilities. Most impor-tantly, use of UAVs as relays can overcome the stringent line-of-sight (LoS) requirement of FSO links. In this paper, we propose a multiple UAV-based FSO communication system with decode and forward (DF) relaying. The FSO links are modeled using a unified fading model that encompasses Malaga distribution reflecting atmospheric turbulence, atmospheric attenuation, pointing errors, and angle-of-arrival (AoA) fluctuations. Opportunistic relay selection (ORS) is employed to choose the suitable UAV for forwarding the signal to the destination. We derive the closed-form expressions for outage probability, average bit error rate (BER), and ergodic capacity. Thereafter, we perform asymptotic analysis to understand the proposed system's behaviour at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We confirm the validity of the derived expressions using Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, numerical results are provided showing the impact of various link parameters on the performance of multi-UAV-based FSO system. © 2024 IEEE.