Dronets

Dronets, or drone networks, refer to distributed systems comprised of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that communicate with each other and possibly ground stations to coordinate sensing, actuation, and data processing across a shared area. In a dronet, individual drones act as nodes in a wireless network, enabling collaborative tasks beyond the capabilities of a single aircraft.

Typical architectures include ad hoc aerial mesh networks, hierarchical structures with a lead drone or ground control, and hybrid formations that connect to cloud or edge computing resources. Dronets rely on inter-drone links such as radio frequency (RF) channels, satellite, or cellular connections, and they use networking protocols that handle mobility, varying link quality, and dynamic topology.

Key capabilities include cooperative sensing and mapping, distributed mission planning, redundancy and resilience through multi-node coverage, and scalable data collection for large areas. Common applications are disaster response, environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection, precision agriculture, and logistics and delivery in complex environments.

Major challenges involve maintaining reliable communication in cluttered or interference-prone airspace, latency and energy constraints, collision avoidance, security and privacy, and regulatory compliance with aviation authorities. Interoperability between drones from different manufacturers remains an area of active development, with standards work ongoing in civil aviation and networking communities.

Research and industry see dronets as enabling more efficient search and rescue, faster data collection, and extended operational persistence through cooperative tasking. However, deployment requires careful risk assessment, airspace authorization, and robust governance to address safety, privacy, and accountability concerns.

See also: unmanned aerial vehicle, wireless mesh network, swarm robotics, airspace management.