NT551: Network Technologies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Introduction

Welcome to NT551

This course examines network technologies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the context of the Low-Altitude Economy (LAE), an emerging sector reshaping civil aviation and logistics across China, ASEAN and the wider world. Students study Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks (SAGIN), Air-to-Ground channel modelling, RIS-assisted UAV communications, routing for Flying Ad-hoc Networks (FANETs), cellular-connected UAVs under recent 3GPP Releases, UAV Traffic Management (UTM/U-space), integrated communication, navigation and surveillance (ICNS), mobile edge computing and federated learning, AI and reinforcement learning for swarm coordination, and UAV security. Three simulation labs and a team project connect the material to Vietnamese LAE use cases in delivery, infrastructure inspection, agriculture and search-and-rescue. The course is a graduation elective designed to run alongside the final-year Capstone Project, and it emphasises application and analysis rather than deep mathematical derivation.

Course Information

Course Code

NT551

Credits

4 (3 theory + 1 practice)

Prior Course

Introduction to Computer Networks

Learning Outcomes

CLO1: Foundations

Analyse LAE concepts, UAV network architectures (SAGIN, UTICN, SILAS) and the regulatory frameworks of the US, China and Vietnam.

CLO2: Communications

Compute A2G path loss, assess the role of RIS, and deploy and compare routing for FANET and cellular-connected UAVs.

CLO3: Systems

Design a UTM/U-space service with Remote ID, conflict detection and geofencing, and implement an ICNS module.

CLO4: Evaluation

Measure PDR, throughput, latency and energy through simulation, and benchmark AI/RL agents against classical baselines.

CLO5: Teamwork

Build a UAV network solution for a Vietnamese LAE use case in a team, aligned with the student's Capstone Project topic.

CLO6: Communication

Present results, source code and technical reports professionally, with transparent declaration of AI tool usage.

Instructors

Dr. Dang Van Huynh

Lecturer, Department of Computer Networks

Faculty of Computer Networks and Communications

Course design, wireless communications, edge intelligence and AI/RL modules

danghv@uit.edu.vn

Dang Le Bao Chuong, M.Sc.

Lecturer, Department of Computer Networks

Faculty of Computer Networks and Communications

Course design, UAV platforms, UTM/ICNS and laboratory sessions

chuongdlb@uit.edu.vn

Textbooks

BOOK

Wireless Communications and Networking for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Saad, Bennis, Mozaffari & Lin (Cambridge University Press, 2020) • Main textbook
BOOK

Avionics and Air Traffic Management Systems for UAS and Urban Air Mobility

Sabatini & Roy (Wiley-IEEE Press, 2023) • UTM, ICNS and regulation

Tutorials

SLIDE

Wireless Communications and Networking with UAVs

Saad, ISWCS 2018 Tutorial T4 (193 slides) • Primary lecture slides for the technical modules
PAPER

A Tutorial on UAVs for Wireless Networks: Applications, Challenges, and Open Problems

Mozaffari et al., IEEE COMST 2019 • arXiv:1803.00680
PAPER

Accessing From the Sky: A Tutorial on UAV Communications for 5G and Beyond

Zeng, Wu & Zhang, Proceedings of the IEEE 2019 • arXiv:1903.05289

Toolchain

Programming

Python ≥ 3.10 C++ Bash

Simulation

ns-3 Mininet-WiFi Gazebo + PX4/ArduPilot SITL QGroundControl

Learning

PyTorch Stable-Baselines3 Gymnasium PettingZoo Ray RLlib

UTM & Analysis

Mosquitto MQTT FastAPI Leaflet / Mapbox Wireshark RTKLIB

Session Timeline

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Select a Session

Tap a session from the list above to view details here.

Project Lifecycle Guidelines

From topic registration (Session 3) to final defence (Sessions 13-15)

Phase 1: Topic Registration

Teams of 2-3 students register a Vietnamese LAE use case. Individual work is allowed when the topic overlaps with the student's Capstone Project.

Deadline: Session 3

Phase 2: Architecture & Scope

Define the network architecture, the communication paradigm (FANET or cellular-connected) and the evaluation metrics before implementation begins.

Deliverable: 1-page design brief

Phase 3: Prototype & Progress Review

Demonstrate a running prototype in simulation or on hardware, and report progress in class for feedback.

Checkpoint: Session 10

Phase 4: Baselines & Evaluation

Measure standard metrics such as PDR, throughput, end-to-end delay and energy, and compare against a simple baseline. Discuss the main trade-offs.

Phase 5: Final Defence

Submit source code on GitHub and a technical report of 30-40 pages, then present the working demo. Strong results are encouraged towards ATC, SoICT or CITA.

Assessment

Topic Distribution

Component	Outcomes	Weight
A1. Course Project	CLO1-CLO6	35%
A2. Labs (3 sessions)	CLO2-CLO5	25%
A3. Final Exam	CLO1-CLO4	40%

A1 Rubric

Course Project

Problem definition and scope, grounded in a realistic Vietnamese LAE setting
Implementation with a working demo and a clear architecture
Result analysis using standard metrics against a simple baseline
Presentation, report quality and teamwork

A2 Rubric

Labs

Correctness of the implementation and plausibility of measured results
Code clarity, comments and a detailed README
Reproducibility on a different machine
Participation and on-time submission

A3 Rubric

Final Exam

Command of core concepts: LAE, SAGIN, UTM, FANET, A2G channels, cellular-connected UAVs
Application of channel, routing and UTM theory to given problems
Clarity of presentation, with diagrams and basic quantitative analysis

Course Requirements

Labs and Project

All three labs must be completed and submitted on time through Courses or GitHub Classroom
Late submissions are penalised unless an exemption is agreed in advance
Project topics are registered in Session 3, with a progress report in Session 10
Each team submits source code, a technical report of 30-40 pages and a live demonstration

Academic Integrity

All exercises, labs and project work must be the students' own work
Use of AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot must be declared in the Acknowledgement section
Plagiarism and cheating are handled under UIT regulations
Attendance at the final exam is compulsory, with a minimum passing mark required