Hybrid MAC Protocol with Integrated Multi-Layered Security for Resource-Constrained UAV Swarm Communications

Abstract: Flying Ad Hoc Networks (FANETs) present unique challenges due to high node mobility, dynamic topologies, and strict resource constraints. Existing routing protocols often optimize for a single metric, such as path length or energy, while neglecting the complex dependencies between network performance, security, and MAC layer efficiency. This paper introduces a novel hardware software co design framework for secure and adaptive UAV swarm communications, featuring an energy aware protocol stack. The architecture employs a multicast, clustered organization where routing decisions integrate dynamic trust scores, historical link quality, and internodal distance. A hybrid MAC protocol combines contention based and scheduled channel access for optimized throughput. Security is ensured through a zero trust model that fuses cryptographic authentication with a behavioral reputation system, alongside hardware accelerated AES GCM encryption. Comparative analysis in an NS 3 simulation environment demonstrates the framework's superiority in packet delivery ratio, latency, resilience, and overhead, providing a scalable foundation for high performance swarm operations.