An Elevation-Aware Large-Scale Channel Model for UAV Air-to-Ground Links

Naier Xia, Yang Liu () and Yu Yu
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Naier Xia: School of Internet of Things Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Yang Liu: School of Internet of Things Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Yu Yu: School of Communication and Artificial Intelligence, School of Integrated Circuits, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing 211167, China

Mathematics, 2025, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of existing research that fails adequately capture the spatiotemporal nonstationarity caused by the building of occlusion and flight dynamics in air-to-ground channels from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in urban scenarios. This study focuses on the angular-altitude correlations of three key metrics: path loss (PL), shadow fading, and the Ricean K-factor. A dynamic path-loss model incorporating the look-down angle is proposed, an exponential decay model for the shadow-fading standard deviation is constructed, and a model for the angle-dependent variation of the Ricean K-factor is established based on line-of-sight probability. Simulations were conducted in two urban-geometry scenarios using WinProp to evaluate the combined effects of flight altitude and elevation angle. The results indicate that path loss decreases and subsequently stabilizes with increasing elevation angle, the shadow-fading standard deviation decreases significantly, and the Ricean K-factor increases with angle and saturates at high angles, in agreement with theoretical predictions. These models are more adaptable to UAV mobility scenarios than traditional fixed exponential models and provide a useful basis for UAV link planning and system optimization in urban environments.

Keywords: UAV; air-to-ground channel; path loss; shadowing; Ricean K-factor; line-of-sight probability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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