Invited Paper: Ground-Based Communication Support for Air Corridors

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is envisioned to bring a new mode of air transportation with promising benefits to the society, at large. AAM services such as air taxis and air ambulances are expected to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural/tribal regions. For AAM services to be deployed at large-scale, there are several technical challenges that need to be addressed. Reliable communications to support autonomous airspace operations is one such challenge. This paper presents a comprehensive architecture for ground-based communication support for AAM vehicles. The architecture includes: (1) air corridor design, (2) unit air cell that serves as a building block for air corridor, and (3) novel antenna designs for the base station and the AAM vehicle. Detailed analysis is presented for these architectural elements to demonstrate their viability for practical implementation.

I. Introduction

Air corridors [1], [2] are designated and structured airspaces that are integral to the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure. AAM platforms such as the electric Vertical and Takeoff (eVTOL) vehicles are expected to fly within these designated airspaces and follow the recommended flight rules. With the proposed digital flights and digital flight rules [3], [4], it is imperative that air corridors must be supported through a reliable communications. Among the several options available for this purpose, ground-based communications supported through cellular base stations, is one option that the industry is pursuing. Fig. 1 illustrates an air corridor between two vertiports (takeoff and landing areas for AAM platforms), that is supported through several base stations on the ground installed along the corridor. For example, AURA Network Systems is building a nationwide network to support autonomous and Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLoS) air space operations for AAM vehicles [5]. Federal Aviation Organizations around the world are considering dedicated spectrum for UAV communications. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed 5030-5091 MHz band and issued request for comments from the public. UAV communications include Air-to-Ground (A2G) and Air-to-Air (A2A) communications. A2G communications are needed to support command and control and A2A communications are needed for tactical negotiations between UAVs.