Tactical Drone for Point-to-Point data delivery using Laser-Visible Light Communication (L-VLC)

Delivery of sensitive data between military bases near critical zones is a crucial task. Currently, it is done either through wireless modes such as the internet or radio-frequency; or in-person. But these have problems such as data-breach, unaddressed-access and delay. In order to address this, the paper proposes the use of tactical drones and Laser-based Visible Light Communication (L-VLC). The idea is to control the drone from data source, upload it with encrypted confidential data, fly it to near the destination and deliver data to the end node without landing; returning to the source thereafter. A lot of investment is already being done on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for military applications such as surveillance and logistics. The use of L-VLC not only brings additional functionality to the current investments but also resolves this major problem, along with increased security, reduced delay and an environment-friendly approach. Due to its Point-to-Point data delivery mechanism, it ensures end-node delivery with instant acknowledgment. The paper also contains some basic theoretical analysis of specifications for the drone, memory element, L-VLC transmitter and receiver; to be used for this purpose. However, a complex mathematical analysis on the detailed simulation parameters is kept for the further study on the method. The future scope of the related technologies such as Drone-as-a-Service, improving drone control system security, multi-drone L-VLC network are also briefly touched.