The Role of UAVs in Enhancing Network Resilience During Natural Disasters

Alshareefi, Hamid; Meftin, Noor Kadhim; Dilmurat Abdilazhanovich, Tursunov; Khalid Ahmed, Aseel; Abdullah Hafedh, Milad

doi:10.22034/jipm.2025.728351

The Role of UAVs in Enhancing Network Resilience During Natural Disasters

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hamid Alshareefi ¹

Noor Kadhim Meftin ²

Tursunov Dilmurat Abdilazhanovich ³

Aseel Khalid Ahmed ⁴

Milad Abdullah Hafedh ⁵

¹ Al-Turath University, Baghdad 10013, Iraq

² Al-Mansour University College, Baghdad 10067, Iraq

³ Osh State University, Osh City 723500, Kyrgyzstan

⁴ Al-Rafidain University College Baghdad 10064, Iraq

⁵ Madenat Alelem University College, Baghdad 10006, Iraq

10.22034/jipm.2025.728351

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Background: Failures of communication usually occur during natural disasters, therefore signaling the importance of flexible networks. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are anticipated to solve this problem by acting as on-the-move networks in the disaster-stricken regions. However, barriers that include challenges in UAV control coordination, resources allocation as well as security of the data being drawn are still pushing the technology backward.
Objective: The article seeks to design and analyze enhanced heuristics for employing UAVs in disaster communications to enhance performance, availability, and security.
Methods: Both primary, semi-structured interview and survey and post-disaster reports as well as secondary, computational analysis based on MATLAB and NS - 3 simulations were used as the data collection technique. Five algorithms: Multi-UAV Coordination, Dynamic Resource Allocation with Security, Hybrid Communication Framework, AI-Driven Path Optimization, Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing were implemented and incorporated. Theoretical models built on the basis of multi- objective optimization and the theory of games confirmed work ability to scale.
Results: The introduced algorithms increased coverage by 75%, decreased latency by 27 percent, and also introduced 30 percent energy efficiency. Average privacy compliance levels floated above 90%, and an advanced resource allocation model achieved equal distribution. All these enhancements were affirmed in urban, rural and mountainous regions further proving versatility and stability.
Conclusion: The article proposes a framework for UAV-enabled disaster communication system that can incorporate advanced algorithm and theoretical models to overcome the coordination challenge while ensuring the efficiency and security of the system. The presented results can be considered to be the reliable base for the UAVs usage in disaster situations.

Keywords

KEYWORDS: UAVs

network resilience

natural disasters

emergency response

communication restoration

LTE

disaster recovery

situational awareness

infrastructure repair

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