Path Planning, Trajectory Tracking and Guidance for UAVs: 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Path planning, trajectory tracking, and guidance are essential aspects for the autonomous operations of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These processes involve the determination of the optimal path, implementation of the planned path, and real-time adjustments to ensure accurate tracking and obstacle avoidance. The ability to plan efficient and safe paths for UAVs is crucial for the successful completion of missions, especially in complex environments. Moreover, the implementation of planned paths while considering external factors such as wind and turbulence, along with real-time guidance adjustment, ensures UAV’s safety and stability. Research in this area focuses on developing advanced algorithms and control systems that enable UAVs to operate autonomously and effectively in complex environments.

This Special Issue aims to collect the latest research results for path planning, trajectory tracking, and guidance of UAVs, which are fundamentally important for the autonomous operations of UAVs.

Papers are solicited in areas directly related to topics including, but not limited to, the following:

• Path planning and task assignment for UAV swarms;
• Autonomous navigation and localization (both outdoor and indoor);
• Autonomous decision making;
• Trajectory planning and optimization;
• Guidance for individual UAV or for multiple cooperative UAVs;
• Control algorithms;
• Data-driven guidance and control;
• AI-based planning.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Heng Shi
Prof. Dr. Jihong Zhu
Dr. Zheng Chen
Dr. Minchi Kuang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Drones is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• path planning
• trajectory tracking
• guidance, navigation, and control
• autonomous control
• trajectory optimization
• formation and reconfiguration