Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are dynamic airborne systems, operating at variable altitudes and speeds while establishing and maintaining communications with other aircraft or ground stations. The integrity of communications signals directly impacts a UAV’s ability to receive commands, transmit sensor data, and coordinate flight paths with nearby airborne systems, among other mission-critical tasks. Factors such as high mobility and variable flight behavior, however, presents unique challenges for UAVs to communicate and operate effectively while in the field. The ACE9600 can provide a realistic testing environment through comprehensive UAV link emulation. Simulated link impairments include carrier Doppler shift, chip rate shift, path loss, ionospheric scintillation, multipath fading, and troposcatter effects, all of which contribute to understanding, analyzing, and optimizing UAV performance under various operational conditions.