COOPERATIVE UAV DETECTION USING V2X INFRASTRUCTURE IN RURAL DEFENSE CORRIDORS: STRENGTHENING CONNECTIVITY FOR DUAL-USE APPLICATIONSADVERSARIAL TACTICS FOR DETECTION EVASION

Abstract

Rural transport corridors have sparse radar coverage and constrained backhaul, which increases the risk of small-UAV incursions. A dual-use approach is proposed in which V2X roadside units (RSUs) perform cooperative RF sensing without degrading ITS functions. The architecture combines a communications subsystem for transport services with a sensing subsystem that provides multiband monitoring, sub-threshold correlation, and adaptive thresholds. The processing pipeline has three stages: local observation, inter-station correlation of weak detections, and distributed triangulation for direction and position estimation. Control messages are exchanged over the service channel with GPS time synchronization. The models account for airborne path-loss and cooperative SINR gain under interference. Validation with Monte Carlo simulations for a long corridor of evenly spaced RSUs shows higher detection probability and better azimuth accuracy than isolated nodes. Parametric studies over RSU spacing, cooperation-window size, and detection thresholds confirm consistent cooperative gain and identify boundary regimes. The system is resilient to single-node failures due to coverage overlap, but is limited for non-emitting UAVs, under heavy interference, and at corridor edges. Practical value lies in creating a cost-efficient early-warning network in sparsely populated regions and integrating with C2 systems to raise situational awareness. Planned work includes field trials, multisensor integration, and AI-based trajectory prediction.