ABSTRACT
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are of increasing interest in the military, commercial and civil applications for their extensive searching range and advanced reconnaissance skills. The feasibility and reliability of UAVs are largely determined by the effectiveness of communication skills. The currently growing body of literature has shown that there could be more than one way for the UAVs to communicate, either with ground stations or between each other. Furthermore, the effectiveness and robustness of UAV networks are closely related to routing range as well as communication strategies. Previous works are focusing on different cut-in angles of UAV networks for less administrative efforts, higher control-ability, safer swarm missions with collision-safe techniques and so forth. Based on some typical studying cases, this chapter first discusses the feasible communication methods and their applications, then lists the pros and cons among different network strategies with actual field test results, further points out the existing difficulties in more sophisticated communication skills, and in the end draws the conclusion of the development overlook in UAV network buildups and suggests possible future research directions.
