Radio Channel Models for Future Military Systems - A Survey

Authors:

  • Eric Corrigan
  • Peter Holm
  • Gunnar Eriksson
  • Erik Axell

Publish date: 2023-11-22

Report number: FOI-R--5492--SE

Pages: 34

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • radio wave propagation
  • parabolic equations
  • ray tracing
  • geometrical theory of diffraction
  • machine learning

Abstract

The characteristics of a radio channel have significant impact on the quality of a received signal. These characteristics depend on several physical properties, such as frequency, bandwidth and terrain. There is a need to develop new channel models since military radio systems are being developed, new frequency bands are used and new military requirements and scenarios arise. This report presents the state of the art of channel models for future military radio systems, focusing on the following areas: current research within radio channel modelling, existing software for wave propagation calculation, 3D models and models based on machine learning. The report presents research questions and their suggested solutions within the studied areas. Much of the commercially available wave propagation software entered development several years ago, and it is hard to determine in detail which propagation models are being used and how the models have been modified over time. The currently ongoing international research projects focus on frequency bands and scenarios which are more relevant for mobile telecommunications or radar applications than for tactical radiocommunications. The studied 3D-models all have the issue of computational complexity. An important subject of reasearch is therefore to develop approximations which maintain accuracy but reduce complexity. Use of machine learning models to reproduce or improve upon the results of empirical or deterministic wave propagation prediction models has been reported in the scientific literature. Such models have the potential to contribute to increased accuracy and reduced computational complexity. The long term knowledge acquisition, to meet the demands for development of channel models for military radio communications, is not sufficient today to fulfill the need for development that the study has identified.