Robust, Resilient, and Secure Drone Wireless Communication Protocol Integration Architecture

Drones represent a pivotal component of modern IoT communication infrastructure, with applications spanning from defense to commercial sectors. The increasing automation and deployment of drones across various communication standards—such as 2G GSM, IEEE 802.1X, 3G UMTS, 4G LTE, and 5G NR 3GPP (URLLC, mmWave and mMTC)—introduce significant challenges related to the security, reliability, and resilience of these communication networks. This evolution exposes a broad range of attack vectors, including de-authentication, DoS, spoofing, snooping, and MITMA, which threatens the integrity of drone operations. This research focuses on identifying these vulnerabilities and proposing mitigation strategies through the implementation of a novel secure communication architecture. The study thoroughly examines drone communication in both swarm and standalone modes, emphasizing D2D and D2C interactions with introduction of upgraded communication protocols such as DHCP+ Unicast, S-ARP, EAP-TLS, TLSv1.3, OPENVPN, MFP Protection, and WPA3 MIC IE, which together ensure robust defense mechanisms. The resulting architecture emphasizes the principles of CIA triad, thereby fortifying the communication infrastructure against potential threats.