Communication links for Unmanned Aircraft Systems in very low level airspace

Communication links are inevitably needed by operators as well as by unmanned aircraft system traffic management to command, monitor and coordinate unmanned aircraft in very low level airspace. This is especially true, since a great number of unmanned aircraft is projected for this airspace in the near future. However, a common standard for communication links for unmanned aircraft systems does not exist at the moment. This work describes the current state of the research and addresses basic research questions concerning the demands imposed by unmanned aircraft system traffic management and operators, the role of autonomy, throughput requirements, communication network architectures and the possibility of re-using existing mobile and vehicular communications systems.