The use of aerial platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones is a promising solution for providing reliable and cost-effective wireless communications. In particular, UAVs can be quickly and efficiently deployed to support cellular networks and enhance their quality-of- service (QoS) by establishing line-of-sight (LoS) communication links. With their inherent attributes such as mobility, flexibility, and adaptive altitude, if properly deployed, UAVs admit several key potential applications in wireless systems. For instance, UAVs can be deployed to complement existing cellular systems by providing additional capacity to hotspot areas as well as to provide network coverage in emergency and public safety situations. Despite the several benefits and practical applications of using UAVs as aerial base stations, one must address many technical challenges such as three-dimensional (3D) deployment, performance analysis, mobility, air-to-ground channel modeling, user association, and flight time optimization.

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