Multi-UAV Target Tracking and Control
A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Aeronautics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: drone formation; intelligent vehicles; cooperative control; network control; distributed filtering and control; intelligent manufacturing; big data analysis; sensor networks; fault diagnosis life prediction technology
Interests: information integration, simulation, and testing of avionics systems; modeling, simulation, and performance evaluation of complex systems; design, development, and testing of airborne embedded systems
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have revolutionized fields ranging from military surveillance to environmental monitoring and disaster response. Their ability to operate in hazardous or inaccessible environments makes them indispensable for tasks such as search-and-rescue missions, wildlife tracking, and infrastructure inspection. However, the complexity of coordinating multiple UAVs to track dynamic targets in real-world scenarios presents significant challenges. These include ensuring precise localization, maintaining robust communication networks, and optimizing energy efficiency while avoiding collisions and environmental obstacles.
This Special Issue will focus on advancements in multi-UAV target-tracking and control, addressing key aspects like formation control, distributed decision-making, and adaptive algorithms. Contributions cover innovative solutions for cooperative tracking, where UAVs share data to enhance accuracy, reliability, and autonomous navigation, leveraging machine learning and sensor fusion to adapt to unpredictable conditions.
We invite researchers to submit original work on theoretical developments, simulation studies, and experimental validations that push the boundaries of multi-UAV systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, swarm intelligence, real-time trajectory planning, resilience against communication failures, navigation, target recognition, search and exploration, and game theory. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, this Special Issue aims to accelerate progress toward scalable, autonomous UAV networks capable of tackling complex global challenges.
Dr. Zhao Xu
Dr. Guoqing Shi
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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. Aerospace 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 2400 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.
Keywords
- target tracking
- target cognition
- multiple UAVs
- cooperative control
- distributed filtering
- search and exploration
- navigation
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
