AERIAL: Mission-Aware LLM Selection for Language-Driven UAV Control in Flying Networks

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Flying Networks (FNs) increasingly require mechanisms to translate high-level natural language objectives into executable missions. Although Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated the feasibility of language-driven UAV control, existing approaches typically rely on static model configurations and overlook mission-aware performance variability. This paper presents AERIAL, a benchmark-driven framework for adaptive LLM selection in hybrid edge-cloud UAV control. AERIAL separates systematic model benchmarking from mission execution, deriving empirical scenario-model mappings and applying them at runtime for mission-aware selection. Evaluation across 720 automated simulation runs spanning navigation, spatial reasoning, and algorithm invocation revealed significant performance variability depending on scenario-model pairing. A case study integrating AERIAL with a FNs placement algorithm further validated the framework's ability to interface with domain-specific optimization modules through natural language. These results validate the effectiveness of AERIAL's adaptive model selection in improving reliability and operational robustness for autonomous UAV control in FNs.

arXiv comment13 pages, 3 figures