Aláez Gómez, DanielLópez Iturri, PeioCelaya Echarri, MikelAzpilicueta Fernández de las Heras, LeyreFalcone Lanas, FranciscoVilladangos Alonso, JesúsAstrain Escola, José Javier2024-05-302024-05-302024Aláez, D., Lopez-Iturri, P., Celaya-Echarri, M., Azpilicueta, L., Falcone, F., Villadangos, J., Astrain, J. J. (2024) Digital twin modelling of open category UAV radio communications: A case study. Computer Networks. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2024.110276.1389-128610.1016/j.comnet.2024.110276https://academica-e.unavarra.es/handle/2454/48239The modeling of radio links plays a crucial role in achieving mission success of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). By simulating and analyzing communication performance, operators can anticipate and address potential challenges. In this paper, we propose a full-featured UAV software-in-the-loop digital twin (SITL-DT) for a heavy-lifting hexacopter that integrates a radio link module based on an experimental path loss model for ‘Open’ category Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) conditions and drone-antenna radiation diagrams obtained via electromagnetic simulation. The main purpose of integrating and simulating a radio link is to characterize when the communication link can be conflicting due to distance, the attitude of the aircraft relative to the pilot, and other phenomena. The system architecture, including the communications module, is implemented and validated based upon experimental flight data.application/pdfapplication/mp4eng© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.CommunicationsPath lossDigital twinSimulationUnmanned aerial vehicleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article2024-05-30info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess