Covert Communication With Energy Replenishment Constraints in UAV Networks

In this paper, we investigate the possibility and condition of exploiting wireless-powered signals as a cover for conducting covert communications in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) networks. Specifically, we aim to design the hovering altitude of a UAV and its prior transmission probability to strike a balance between energy replenishment and covert communications. We derive the necessary condition for guaranteeing communication covertness subject to an energy replenishment constraint, under which the UAV’s optimal hovering and the prior transmission probability are determined. Our simulation shows that varying the prior transmission probability can significantly improve the achievable communication covertness under the energy replenishment constraint, relative to a baseline scheme with a fixed prior transmission probability.