Reliable User Datagram Protocol for airborne network

Abstract

Applications operating over airborne networks are known to perform quite sub-optimally. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) based applications often experience very low data throughput [1], while the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) based applications suffer high packet loss as well as out-of-order delivery [2]. This is due to the high Bit Error Rate (BER) nature of the wireless links and the high mobility of airborne nodes. Though TCP and UDP have performed well in wired networks, their original design did not take into consideration the characteristics seen in airborne networks thus resulting in their relatively poor performance. In this research, we implemented an OPNET model of the Reliable User Datagram Protocol (RUDP) as proposed in the IETF Internet-Draft in 1999 [3] with extensions to take into consideration the nature of airborne network characteristics. We then analyzed the performance and its applicability to airborne network scenarios. We also provide performance comparison of the enhanced RUDP against the TCP, UDP, and the standard RUDP counterparts.