Landing guidance for air vehicles using next generation cellular networks

A method for landing guidance, the method comprising:

• providing a network slice of a mobile communications network, the network slice including an edge node that is ground-based, wherein the mobile communications network includes a network location management function;
• receiving, in the edge node, location information from the network location management function;
• generating, in the edge node, landing guidance information for an air vehicle based on the location information;
• determining an accuracy and integrity of the location information, to verify whether the landing guidance information meets a reliability threshold for safely landing the air vehicle at a landing target area;
• transmitting the landing guidance information from the edge node to the air vehicle, through a base station, when the landing guidance information meets the reliability threshold;
• guiding the air vehicle to the landing target area using the landing guidance information;
• and
• calculating deviations and feedback signals in real-time to control landing of the air vehicle at the landing target area.

A method for landing guidance of an air vehicle, the method comprising:

• providing an outer loop protocol that initializes a high-level control of a landing guidance operation, and an inner loop protocol that provides real-time control of the landing guidance operation;
• wherein the outer loop protocol comprises:
• creating a virtual and logical network on a cellular communications network and a processor;
• when the air vehicle navigates to a landing system switch-over point, confirming a network connection and determining latency between the air vehicle and the cellular communications network;
• determining whether a virtual and logical network service meeting landing mission requirements is available;
• if the virtual and logical network service meeting the landing mission requirements is available, then retrieving local propagation characteristics;
• determining whether local environmental conditions corresponding to the local propagation characteristics meet the landing mission requirements;
• and
• if the local environmental conditions meet the landing mission requirements, initiating the inner loop protocol to provide real-time control of the landing guidance operation;
• wherein the outer loop protocol continues to monitor a status of the network connection and the local environmental conditions until a determination is made that the landing mission is complete.