Joint resource and trajectory optimization for secure UAV-based relay NOMA system

In this paper, we propose and analyze the maximal secrecy capability of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based relay non-orthogonal multiple access system. In this system, a UAV acts as an aerial relay station to assist transmission from a source to two users in the presence of a terrestrial eavesdropper and a friendly jamming UAV. The minimum achievable secrecy rate (MASR) of two users is derived as a metric indicator to quantify the security of the system under the assumption that the location of the eavesdropper is imprecise. In order to maximize MASR, an efficient iterative algorithm is proposed to optimize system parameters, i.e., the trajectory of UAVs, transmit and jamming powers, as well as power allocation factors. Since the objective function and constraints of the total problem are non-convex, the successive convex approximation and block coordinate descent techniques are applied to find efficient approximate solutions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly enhances the MASR of the system compared to benchmark schemes. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.