Application of artificial intelligence in optimizing uav relay operation to extend wireless communication range

This paper presents an artificial intelligence based approach for optimizing the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used as relay nodes to extend wireless communication range. Instead of selecting the relay only from instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the proposed method evaluates each candidate UAV through a composite score that considers normalized SNR, SNR variation trend, residual energy, relay switching delay, and a hysteresis preference for the current relay. A MATLAB simulation model is developed for a ground station-aircraft communication scenario supported by multiple UAV relays. The results show that the proposed method improves link availability and reduces unnecessary relay switching compared with a conventional threshold-based selection method. The approach is suitable for dynamic radio communication environments where channel quality and UAV resources change continuously over time.