Leader-Follower UAVs for Formation Testing

Many aerial missions consist of various different tasks.Compared to a single manned aerial vehicle, UnmannedAerial Vehicle (UAV) has a greater operational capability.Furthermore, multi-vehicle systems have the abilityto share tasks and therefor accomplish the mission objectiveswith greater efficiency. The UAVs relay real-time informationbetween each other through a Ground ControlStation (GCS), this configuration is known as a centralizedsystem. Single point failures can cause a centralizedsystem to be non-functional[1]. Alternatively, the UAVscan transmit real-time information between group members,in this configuration the system operates in a decentralizedscheme. Understanding those different strategiesand major difficulties for formation flight testing we adopta Multi-UAVs system design with three components: a’Leader’ UAV, a ’Follower’ UAV and a GCS