FALCONNSF VINES Project
NSF VINES · Track 2 · Award 2554540

FALCON

Flexible Aerial Links for Control, Observation, and Navigation

NextG wireless technology in the FR3 band (6–24 GHz) that delivers the resilient connectivity aerial robots need, validated in real outdoor flights on the NSF AERPAW testbed.

Research Watch the overview Meet the team →
FALCON system architecture UAVs with spectrally agile transceivers, multipath TCP clients and network-aware autonomy connect over shared FR3 spectrum to a FALCON radio access network and to non-FALCON networks such as public 5G and satellite. A FALCON RIC coordinates spectrum, and cloud servers provide multipath transport and offloaded control, navigation and perception. UAV · FALCON UE Embedded control, navigation & perception Network awareness Multipath TCP client Spectrally agile transceiver Local link Ground robots Non-FALCON access public 5G · satellite Shared spectrum · FR3 (6–24 GHz) FALCON RAN Spectrally agile O-RU O-CU / DU CN FALCON RIC spectrum coordination & measurement CLOUD · EDGE Multipath TCP server Cloud control, navigation & perception Network awareness TARGET APPLICATIONS · DEMONSTRATED ON AERPAW APPLICATION 1 UAV-assisted infrastructure inspection Partner: Tall Wall Robotics APPLICATION 2 Resilient drone swarms for defense Partner: Nexcepta Existing component New for FALCON Wireless link Wired / control
The FALCON architecture: lightweight FR3 transceivers, RIC-based spectral agility, multi-path transport, and cross-layer exposure to the aerial-robotics stack.

Overview

FALCON in three minutes

PI Sundeep Rangan introduces the FALCON team, applications, and research plan.

The project

Connectivity built for flying systems

Unmanned aerial vehicles and other aerial robots are transforming applications from infrastructure inspection to defense. But today's cellular networks, designed for ground users, struggle to serve flying systems reliably, especially around metallic obstructions and in the presence of interference or jamming.

FALCON develops NextG wireless technology that delivers the resilient connectivity these aerial applications need. The project focuses on Frequency Range 3 (FR3), spanning 6–24 GHz, a key NextG spectrum band for which no aerial-grade experimental platform exists today, and validates the technology in real outdoor flights at the NSF AERPAW testbed at North Carolina State University.

FR3 (6–24 GHz)UAV networksSpectrum sharingO-RANMulti-path transportAERPAW
FALCON is built on deep cross-stack co-design: radio measurements flow through the network to the transport layer and the aerial-robotics stack, the defining feature of NextG architecture.

An aerial-grade FR3 platform

A lightweight transceiver with the size, weight, and power suited to flight, in a band where no aerial experimental platform exists today.

Resilient under interference

Connectivity that holds up around metallic obstructions, under jamming, and with dynamic spectrum sharing.

Proven in real flights

Matured from lab integration to outdoor flights and a multi-UAV capstone on AERPAW, evaluated with industry partners.

Applications

Two vertical use cases

FALCON is validated on two vertical use cases of broad national interest, each evaluated with an industry partner.

Application 1

UAV-assisted building inspection

Commercial building inspection with UAVs and ground robots, in a multi-billion-dollar built-environment services market. Rooftops, high altitudes, and metal-clad structures are poorly served by today's terrestrial networks.

Evaluated with start-up partner Tall Wall Robotics

Application 2

Resilient drone swarms

Drone swarms that keep operating under jamming and dynamic spectrum sharing, maintaining the links they rely on for navigation, coordination, and perception.

Evaluated with defense systems integrator Nexcepta

Research

Three FR3 innovations

FALCON delivers three FR3-focused innovations and matures them through phased integration on the AERPAW testbed.

Innovation 1

Lightweight FR3 transceiver

A single-channel FR3 transceiver, derived from an existing software-defined radio, with size, weight, and power (SWaP) suitable for aerial deployment.

  • Aerial-grade single-channel FR3 radioPi-Radio
Innovation 2

FR3 spectral agility

Layered agility mechanisms: microsecond-scale frequency switching at the RF layer, band, resource-block, and beam selection via an O-RAN application, and multi-path transport that combines 3GPP cellular with non-3GPP paths.

  • Fast RF frequency switchingPi-Radio
  • O-RAN band / beam selectionNC State
  • Multi-path transportNYU
Innovation 3

FR3 observation & cross-layer exposure

FPGA-based wideband occupancy and direction-of-arrival measurements, exposed through dedicated RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) pathways to the transport layer and the aerial-robotics stack.

  • Wideband occupancy & DoA sensingFIU
  • Exposure to the aerial-robotics stackUC Berkeley
Validation

Phased integration on AERPAW

Technology is matured through phased integration on AERPAW and jointly evaluated by the inspection and swarm vertical partners.

  • Year 1  Lab integrationAll sites
  • Year 2  Single-link outdoor flightsNC State
  • Year 3  Multi-UAV capstoneTall Wall · Nexcepta

Broader impacts

Beyond the lab

Workforce development

Hackathons that train students and engineers on NextG and aerial wireless systems.

Open source

Open release of software and hardware reference designs for the research community.

Standards

Contributions to 3GPP and the O-RAN Alliance to shape NextG standards toward first-class support for autonomous systems.