# Performance Comparison of Aerial RIS and STAR-RIS in 3D Wireless Environments

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.08755 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.08755/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 20 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Dec 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: Principles and Opportunities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.03435/) (2020)
- [UAV Communications for 5G and Beyond: Recent Advances and Future Trends](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.06637/) (2019)
- [Latency Minimization for Intelligent Reflecting Surface Aided Mobile Edge Computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.07990/) (2019)
- [Aerial STAR-RIS Empowered MEC: A DRL Approach for Energy Minimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.08714/) (2023)
- [Aerial Intelligent Reflecting Surface: Joint Placement and Passive Beamforming Design with 3D Beam Flattening](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.13295/) (2020)
- [RIS-Aided Wireless Communications: Extra Degrees of Freedom via Rotation and Location Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.05569/) (2022)
- [Energy-Efficient STAR-RIS Enhanced UAV-Enabled MEC Networks with Bi-Directional Task Offloading](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.05725/) (2024)
- [Energy-Efficient Reconfigurable Holographic Surfaces Operating in the Presence of Realistic Hardware Impairments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.01146/) (2024)
- [RIS-Assisted Simultaneous Legitimate Monitoring and Jamming for Industrial Wireless Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.18749/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) and simultaneously transmitting and reflecting RIS (STAR-RIS) have emerged as key enablers for enhancing wireless coverage and capacity in next-generation networks. When mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), they benefit from flexible deployment and improved line-of-sight conditions. Despite their promising potential, a comprehensive performance comparison between aerial RIS and STAR-RIS architectures has not been thoroughly investigated. This letter presents a detailed performance comparison between aerial RIS and STAR-RIS in three-dimensional wireless environments. Accurate channel models incorporating directional radiation patterns are established, and the influence of deployment altitude and orientation is thoroughly examined. To optimize the system sum-rate, we formulate joint optimization problems for both architectures and propose an efficient solution based on the weighted minimum mean square error and block coordinate descent algorithms. Simulation results reveal that STAR-RIS outperforms RIS in low-altitude scenarios due to its full-space coverage capability, whereas RIS delivers better performance near the base station at higher altitudes. The findings provide practical insights for the deployment of aerial intelligent surfaces in future 6G communication systems.