Rate-Splitting Multiple Access for Control and Command of Multi-UAV Communication with Finite Blocklength

In this paper, we propose and analyze a system where a single ground control station (GCS) is applied to control and command multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). To again the fading and interference, the rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) scheme and the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) strategy are used. Moreover, since the message in control and command is small, the finite blocklength is also considered in this system. To evaluate system performance, we derive blocklength error rate (BLER) where UAVs and GCS are equipped with multiple antennas operating in Nakagami-m fading channels. Our approach employs Gaussian-Chebyshev quadrature approximation and first-order Riemann integration to formulate BLER expressions. The BLER values offer insights to determine optimal common stream, UAV altitudes, and power allocation for common signals. Furthermore, we investigate the substantial influence of deployment environments and line-of-sight (LoS) probability on the system performance. Numerical results are used to validate the accuracy of our analysis. © 2023 IEEE.