EdgeTwin-DRL: Real-Time Counter-UAS Detection and Response Optimization Using Edge-Assisted Digital Twins and Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning

Abstract

The time available for a counter-drone system to detect an unauthorized aircraft and determine an appropriate response can be limited. Although cloud processing remains useful for storage and offline analysis, communication delays may constrain its use in time-critical decision loops. This paper proposes EdgeTwin-DRL, an edge-assisted digital twin framework that integrates multimodal sensing and multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for counter-drone detection and response optimization. The digital twin maintains a synchronized representation of the protected airspace using radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR), radio-frequency (RF), and acoustic observations. This synchronized state is used by cooperative DRL actors to adjust computational-resource allocation, detection sensitivity, and candidate countermeasures, while a model-based forward-evaluation assesses proposed responses before they are passed to the simulated response pathway. The framework is evaluated in a simulation testbed in which the RF sensing models are calibrated and independently validated using publicly available datasets, while the remaining sensing components are parameterized using published experimental measurements. Within this calibrated simulation environment, EdgeTwin-DRL achieved a false-positive rate of 1.4% and reduced mean detection-to-response latency by up to 72% relative to the Cloud-DRL baseline and by 26% relative to the MAPPO baseline without calibrated, environment-dependent sensing under the communication and computational assumptions used in the simulator. The evaluation was conducted across modeled urban, suburban, and open-field conditions. These results demonstrate the comparative performance of the proposed architecture within the simulated environment and motivate further investigation of edge-assisted digital twins for counter-drone decision support. Hardware-in-the-loop and controlled field validation are required before operational deployment.