Dear Colleagues,

Air vehicle design has evolved a great deal since its conception, and will continue to do so at ever accelerating rate over the coming years. The major drivers behind aircraft design evolution to date have been the commercialization of flight and accessibility to the public, operational optimization and performance increases, as well as safety.

However, it is clear that climate change has now come to the forefront as the key driver in aircraft design. Efforts are being made to drastically reduce CO₂ aviation emissions to help control global CO₂ levels. Similarly, local emissions, such as Nox; unburnt hydrocarbons; and, last but not least, noise need to be reduced in proximity to airports. Improvements to the internal passenger environment are also desirable. Finally, the sustainability of aviation needs addressing. This includes manufacturing processes and materials, in addition to fuels.

The aforementioned drivers will undoubtedly result in a wide variety of new concepts and technologies, such as electrification and alternate fuels, being integrated into aircraft designs. However, beyond this, we are starting to see disruptive technologies starting to break through. Concepts such as urban air mobility in combination with autonomy may radically change the face of aviation.

The design of an air vehicle is a multidisciplinary design process, where different specializations fuse to create tangible solutions. The current Special Issue will focus on air vehicle innovation with regard to the mitigation of aviation’s environmental impact. Disruptive technologies that may contribute to the aim of improving aviation are also of key interest. More specifically, manuscript submissions in the areas mentioned below are highly encouraged.

Dr. Ioannis Giannopoulos
Prof. Dr. Howard Smith
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. Designs is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 1400 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.

• Novel aircraft conceptual configurations, advances in aircraft aerodynamics and aircraft performance
• Application of disruptive concepts configuration and technologies in aviation
• Flight mechanics, avionics, navigation and air traffic management
• Advances in the application/integration of advanced/novel airframe materials, structures and systems
• Application of alternative fuels and alternative propulsion systems
• Advances in manufacturing processes and systems employed in the aerospace sector.