Comparative analysis of UAV relative navigation methods in group flights: balancing accuracy and communication channel load

The effectiveness of methods for solving the problem of relative navigation of UAVs in formation flights was studied. The objective was to compare the navigation accuracy and communication load of four methods: an autonomous solution, the use of a single satellite constellation, pairwise coordinate measurement, and a modified version with averaging. A mathematical model with modules for simulating satellite motion, UAV route generation, and GNSS receiver operation was developed. The modified method demonstrated the best accuracy (average error of 1.49 m, maximum error of 7.64 m), but it significantly loads the communication channel.