Integrating a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) with cloud capabilities for military or enterprise use has not usually been feasible due to cybersecurity concerns. With recent advancements in blockchain networks the possibility of large cloud connected UAS networks has emerged. Our team investigates how to integrate data collected from a sUAS with a cloud-based service for data collection, storage, and processing implemented to ensure data privacy and data integrity. Our proposed network architecture implements a blockchain network to maintain decentralized security for the network. The research’s objectives include running security tests against a blockchain network & host/client networks and then comparing their performance and abilities to support the cloud based UAS. Specifically, we are using an open-source project called AirSim to support a virtual UAS that is connected to the UAS flight controller, the Pixhawk, to test a hardware-in the loop solution. This test is a preliminary proof of concept, and after it proves successful we are moving to a test involving a physical UAS. Data is transmitted from the UAS to a client server in Amazon Web Services (AWS) where it is placed into a blockchain and sent to the host server for processing. Overall, we believe a cloud supported communication network with a blockchain to secure data is an efficient and wise method of UAS control with information processing
