Physical-Layer Reliability of Drones and Their Counter-Measures: Full Versus Half Duplex

In this article, we study the advantages and disadvantages that full-duplex (FD) radio technology brings to remote-controlled drone and counter-drone systems in comparison to classical half-duplex (HD) radio technology. We consider especially the physical-layer reliability perspective that has not yet been comprehensively studied. For establishing a solid analytical background, we first derive original closed-form expressions to evaluate demodulation and detection performance of frequency-hopped and frequency-shift keyed drone remote control signals under external or self-inflicted interference. The developed analytical tools are verified by comparison to simulated results and then used to study the impact that the operation mode has on the operable area of drones and effectiveness of counter-drone systems in different scenarios, linking the physical layer performance to practical safety. Analysis of the scenarios shows that FD operation compared to HD can improve the effectiveness of a counter-drone system and that in FD mode a drone can detect the attacks from the counter-drone system from a greater distance than in HD mode. However, two-way communication between the remote controller and drone in FD mode compared to HD significantly reduces the drone’s operable area when targeted by a smart counter-drone system.