Secure routing protocol design for UAV Ad hoc NETworks

UAV Ad hoc NETworks (UAANETs) can be defined as a new form of ad hoc networks in which nodes are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Ground Control Station (GCS). Compared to the usual Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET), this new network paradigm has some unique features and brings specific challenges such as node mobility degree, network connectivity patterns, delay-sensitive applications and network security. Indeed, from routing point of view, none of the several UAANET routing protocols proposed in the literature have been designed with security in mind. This lack of consideration can make the certification of UAANETs difficult to obtain. In this paper, we present our vision of such a challenge and the research that we are conducting. The aim is to propose an original secure routing protocol for UAANETs using a Model Driven Development (MDD) approach which will ease the certification of final UAV products. The first preliminary results concerning our secure-routing protocol design will be presented. This paper describes our ongoing research which will provide secure communications for UAV ad hoc networks at the end of the SUANET (Secure Uav Ad-hoc NETwork) project.