Special Issues

Drones publishes Special Issues to create collections of papers on specific topics, with the aim of building a community of authors and readers to discuss the latest research and develop new ideas and research directions. Special Issues are led by Guest Editors, who are experts on the topic and all Special Issue submissions follow MDPI's standard editorial process. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member will oversee Guest Editor appointments and Special Issue proposals, checking their content for relevance and ensuring the suitability of the material for the journal. The papers published in a Special Issue will be collected and displayed on a dedicated page of the journal’s website. Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies and Guest Editor responsibilities can be found here. For any inquiries related to a Special Issue, please contact the Editorial Office.

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Drone Communication, Networking, and Trajectory Control in Urban Environments
edited by , Yu Zhang, Ningning Hou and Yimeng Feng
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | 12 articles | Viewed by 33231 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone communication and networking; multi-drone coordination; real-time data transmission; urban air traffic management; drone navigation; trajectory planning; sustainable urban transport; on-board AI processing; millimeter wave radar enabled drone navigation; drone remote sensing using millimeter wave radar; LoRa-assisted drone communication and networking; LoRa for long range drone applications; novel drone applications; drone assisted wireless communications for 5G and beyond; drone security; integrated sensing and communication drone networks; remote object detection from drone; urban computing
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
Advancing UAV-Based Remote Sensing: Innovations, Techniques and Applications
edited by , Yinxia Cao, Haoyang Yang and Dongyu Li
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 2262 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV remote sensing; drone path planning; image enhancement; multispectral and hyperspectral imaging; thermal remote sensing; precision mapping; data fusion techniques; environmental monitoring; disaster response applications; machine learning in UAV data analysis
IoT-Enabled UAV Networks for Secure Communication
edited by Bing Chen, , , Yutao Jiao and Zhiyi Tian
submission deadline 21 May 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 10168 | Submission Open
Keywords: Internet of Things (IoT); unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); flying ad hoc networks (FANET); drones; ground control station (GCS)
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
Advances in Autonomous Underwater Drones: 2nd Edition
edited by Daxiong Ji, , Dena Bazazian and Mohd Hisham Bin Nordin
submission deadline 28 May 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 7438 | Submission Open
Keywords: autonomous underwater drones; AUV; control algorithms; navigation algorithms; driving mechanisms; design of drones
Innovative Approaches to Biodiversity and Ecology Monitoring: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Drone Technology
edited by
submission deadline 28 May 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 5603 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone imagery; artificial intelligence; biodiversity monitoring; ecological assessment; remote sensing; machine learning; habitat mapping; species distribution; conservation technology; environmental change
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Ecology)
Drone-Centric Optical Wireless Networks: Innovations in 6G, AI, and Hybrid Communication Systems
edited by , Demostenes Zegarra Rodriguez, Shahid Mumtaz and
submission deadline 30 May 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3220 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone optical wireless communication; aerial free space optics; 6G networks; drone-based access points; AI-driven optimization; hybrid optical and RF systems; latency-sensitive applications; intelligent transportation systems; security in optical wireless networks; drone communication systems
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) Communication Strategies for UAV Networks
edited by Khadija Slimani, Adarsh Kumar and
submission deadline 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 525 | Submission Open
Keywords: Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) communication; AI-enhanced UAV networks; secure and resilient communication; multi-UAV collaboration; blockchain-based trust management; autonomous decision-making; channel prediction and routing; cybersecurity in UAV Networks; digital twin modeling; next-generation wireless systems
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
Advanced Flight Dynamics and Decision-Making for UAV Operations
edited by , , Elias K. Xidias and
submission deadline 31 May 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 11950 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV flight dynamics; autonomous control; decision-making; machine learning; reinforcement learning; neural networks; UAV simulation; swarm UAVs; 3D Printing; UAV design; additive manufacturing
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Design and Development)
Advanced Optimization Strategies for UAV Mission Planning and Operation
edited by , and Giulio Avanzini
submission deadline 31 May 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 3856 | Submission Open
Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); autonomous aerial systems; mission planning and scheduling; trajectory optimization; payload allocation and optimization; multi-UAV coordination; optimization algorithms; heuristic and metaheuristic methods; energy-efficient UAV operations; autonomous decision-making
(This special issue belongs to the Section Artificial Intelligence in Drones (AID))
Rapid Disaster Assessment and Post-Disaster Recovery Using UAV Remote Sensing submission deadline 31 May 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3855 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV photogrammetry; rapid mapping; disaster response; post-disaster recovery; change detection; AI and remote sensing; multi-sensor platforms; emergency mapping; UAV-GIS integration; damage assessment
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Ecology)
Next-Generation UAV Base Stations: Enabling Integrated Sensing, Communications, and the Low-Altitude Economy submission deadline 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 676 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV base stations; AI-driven drones; swarm intelligence; UAV-based integrated sensing and communications (ISAC); trajectory optimization; digital twinning; aerial edge computing; energy-efficient UAV communications; space– air– ground integrated network (SAGIN); 6G
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
Distributed Control, Optimization, and Game of UAV Swarm Systems (2nd Edition)
edited by Zhi Feng, Rui Yan, , Xiaoduo Li and Qing Wang
submission deadline 12 Jun 2026 | 8 articles | Viewed by 30812 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV swarm systems; distributed control; formation control; distributed optimization; intelligent motion planning; swarm game; distributed Nash equilibrium seeking
Cooperative Perception, Planning, and Control of Heterogeneous UAVs
edited by Yuan Yuan, Qian Zhang and
submission deadline 15 Jun 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1383 | Submission Open
Keywords: model-heterogeneous UAVs; function-heterogeneous UAVs; cooperative control; cooperative planning; cooperative perception; multi-source data Fusion; distributed control system; formation control; synergy robustness; motion constraint matching
(This special issue belongs to the Section Artificial Intelligence in Drones (AID))
Path Planning, Trajectory Tracking and Guidance for UAVs: 3rd Edition submission deadline 16 Jun 2026 | 9 articles | Viewed by 13330 | Submission Open
Keywords: path planning; trajectory tracking; guidance; navigation; and control; autonomous control; trajectory optimization; formation and reconfiguration
Drone-Enabled Smart Sensing: Challenges and Opportunities
edited by , Calvin Coopmans and
submission deadline 18 Jun 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3174 | Submission Open
Keywords: digital twins; smart cities; machine learning; optimal sensor placement; modeling and control; environmental monitoring; precision agriculture; swarm coordination and control; real-time optimization; edge computing; internet of things
Dynamics Modeling and Conceptual Design of UAVs—2nd Edition
edited by Ni Li, Ban Wang, Shuhui Bu and
submission deadline 18 Jun 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 788 | Submission Open
Keywords: dynamics modeling; conceptual design; UAV control; strategies; system identification
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Design and Development)
Drones for Wildfire and Prescribed Fire Science: 2nd Edition
edited by Brian Gullett, Pantelis Velanas and Katerina Margariti
submission deadline 24 Jun 2026 | Viewed by 251 | Submission Open
Keywords: unmanned aircraft systems; drones; wildland fire; fire dynamics; sensors; firefighter safety; plume dispersion; meteorological measurements; fire emissions; exposure risk; fire prevention; fire response; post-fire ecological restoration
Advances in Intelligent Coordination Control for Autonomous UUVs
edited by Haitao Zhang, Bin-Bin Hu, , Mingkang Long and Henglai Wei
submission deadline 25 Jun 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 11057 | Submission Open
Keywords: cooperative control; autonomous underwater unmanned vehicles; decision making; game theory; machine learning; control theory; distributed optimization; intelligent connected vehicles; vehicle dynamics control
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Design and Development)
Digital Twins and Extended Reality: Opportunities and Challenges of Integrated Applications (2nd Edition)
edited by Daniela Oreni, and
submission deadline 26 Jun 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 10610 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAVs digital twin XR-MR-AR-VR scan-to-BIM— BIM projects; HBIM projects; BIM-to-FEA; CoSim; BEM; InfraBIM conservation; management and dissemination of cultural built heritage fault diagnosis energy; structural analysis; and costs evaluation virtual museum; virtual– visual storytelling drone-based and drone-supported solutions
The Conceptual Design Methodology for UAV: New Research and New Development (2nd Edition)
edited by , Jinli Suo, Meng Guo, Min Chang, Zhaowei Ma and
submission deadline 26 Jun 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2343 | Submission Open
Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); hybrid aquatic aerial vehicle (HAAV); smart materials and aircraft structures design for drones; new energy and power systems for drones; GPS-denied autonomous localization of UAVs; robust and fast maneuver control for drones; emergent behaviors in swarm; large language model for swarm interaction
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Design and Development)
Autonomous Drone Navigation in GPS-Denied Environments
edited by and Yang Liu
submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | 10 articles | Viewed by 27167 | Submission Open
Keywords: autonomous drone navigation; GPS-denied environment; visual– inertial navigation; visual– inertial odometry; simultaneous localization and mapping; resource-constrained autonomous navigation; robust dynamic sensor calibration
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Design and Development)
Advancing Space-Air-Ground-Sea Integrated Networks in Drones: Techniques, Applications, and Future Directions
edited by , and Li Li
submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 5131 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone-enabled SAGSINs; 6G networks; integrated space-air-ground-sea communications; cooperative transmission; cross-domain resource scheduling; mobility management; edge computing in drone networks; security and privacy in drone-enabled networks
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
Advances in Drone Applications for Last-Mile Delivery Operations submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1966 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone delivery; last-mile logistics; (AI-based) planning & scheduling  ; AS/RS integration; Packaging  ; payload management  ; energy efficiency  ; insurance; sustainability
(This special issue belongs to the Section Innovative Urban Mobility)
UAVs for Nature Conservation Tasks in Complex Environments
edited by Tom Richardson, Ulrik Pagh Schultz and
submission deadline 1 Jul 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 5542 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV/MAV; perception; collaborative; wildlife; complex environments; navigation; mapping; real-time
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Ecology)
Technologies and Applications of UAV Channel Models in Communications and Spectrum Awareness: 2nd Edition submission deadline 10 Jul 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3875 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV channel model; UAV channel sounding; UAV ISAC; UAV communication; UAV spectrum sensing; UAV trajectory planning
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
UAV and USV Technologies for Inspection and Monitoring in Coastal Engineering submission deadline 10 Jul 2026 | Viewed by 393 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV photogrammetry; USV bathymetry; topo-bathymetric integration; coastal and civil infrastructure monitoring; 3D change detection; structural resilience; autonomous surveying; AI-based damage assessment; multi-temporal analysis; reproducible monitoring workflows
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Ecology)
GeoAI for UAVs and Earth Observation: Methods, Applications and Possible Integration submission deadline 16 Jul 2026 | Viewed by 351 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAVs; earth observation; algorithms; applications in sciences; GeoAI; hyperspectral/multispectral; SAR; LiDAR
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Ecology)
Advances in the Use of UAVs for Monitoring and Analysis of Forage and Agricultural Crops: Technologies, Methods and Applications
edited by and Luciana Sandra Bastos De Souza
submission deadline 19 Jul 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 37805 | Submission Open
Keywords: precision agriculture; forage crops; agricultural monitoring; image analysis; yield estimation; thermal imaging; machine learning; 3D modeling; data modeling
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Agriculture and Forestry)
When Deep Learning Meets Geometry for Air-to-Ground Perception on Drones: 2nd Edition
edited by , Yangliu Kuai, Hongqi Fan and Gongjian Wen
submission deadline 29 Jul 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 5271 | Submission Open
Keywords: object detection  ; object tracking  ; object localization  ; object segmentation  ; vision foundation models  ; multimodal data processing
Wearable Technologies for Driving Drones: Innovations and Applications
edited by , and Bojan Jerbić
submission deadline 31 Jul 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 5991 | Submission Open
Keywords: wearable technology; drone control systems; human– drone interaction; bio-sensing; gesture recognition; haptic feedback; robotics; augmented reality (AR); virtual reality (VR); ergonomics in drone piloting
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Design and Development)
UAVs and UGVs Robotics for Emergency Response in a Changing Climate
edited by , Santos Miguel Orozco Soto and Christian Wankmüller
submission deadline 31 Jul 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2423 | Submission Open
Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs); robotics for hazardous environments; disaster robotics; human-robot teaming; search and rescue (SAR); emergency response automation; autonomous navigation; real-time situational awareness
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Ecology)
Design and Development of UAV Systems for Logistics Networks and Operations submission deadline 31 Jul 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1126 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV; advanced communication systems; cybersecurity; intelligent transportation; smart logistics; autonomous distribution; machine learning; integration with augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR); swarm systems; sensor intelligence
Security-by-Design in UAVs: Enabling Intelligent Monitoring
edited by , Yi Zhou, and Lingling Lv
submission deadline 31 Jul 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 864 | Submission Open
Keywords: multi-UAV systems; security-by-design; cybersecurity; relative localization; autonomous navigation; cooperative control; privacy protection; intelligent monitoring
(This special issue belongs to the Section Artificial Intelligence in Drones (AID))
Advanced Autonomous Mobility Toward Low-Altitude Economy and Three-Dimensional Transportation Systems: 2nd Edition
edited by Xiangkun He, Hailong Huang, Caizheng Wang and Henglai Wei
submission deadline 31 Jul 2026 | Viewed by 419 | Submission Open
Keywords: autonomous aerial vehicles for urban air mobility; autonomous ground vehicles for smart cities; end-to-end autonomous ground and aerial vehicle technologies; AI and machine learning applications in 3D traffic management; cybersecurity and privacy concerns in connected aerial and ground mobility; autonomous multimodal mobility technologies; 3D transportation infrastructure planning and design; sensor technologies and perception systems for 3D transportation navigation; energy-efficient propulsion systems for aerial vehicles; human factors for aerial autonomous mobility
(This special issue belongs to the Section Innovative Urban Mobility)
Drones and the Internet of Things: Enabling Connected Airspace
edited by , Bernabe Matteo and Enrico Testi
submission deadline 31 Jul 2026 | Viewed by 297 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAV communications; internet of things; aerial networks; AI-native UAV systems; edge Computing for UAVs; network optimization for UAVs; non terrestrial networks; new architecture and services for UAV networks; secure UAV communications; massive multiple access for UAV networks; modulation and coding for UAV networks
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
Advances in Civil Applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Third Edition
edited by , Fernando Veiga López and Enrique Aldao Pensado
submission deadline 3 Aug 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2230 | Submission Open
Keywords: drones; surveying; unmanned aircraft systems; regulations; swarm; photogrammetry; remote sensing; earth observation; guidance; navigation; and control; aerodynamics
Resilient Networking and Task Allocation for Drone Swarms: 2nd Edition
edited by , and
submission deadline 10 Aug 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 7342 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone swarms; UAV ad hoc networks; swarm cooperative communications; swarm secure issues; swarm cooperative decision making
Advances in Perception, Communications, and Control for Drones: 2nd Edition submission deadline 16 Aug 2026 | 9 articles | Viewed by 12668 | Submission Open
Keywords: perception; drone communications; autonomous control; communication-oriented control; perception-aware control; drone swarms
Computational Fluid Dynamics for Next-Generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
edited by , Fernando Veiga López and Elena Beatriz Martín Ortega
submission deadline 20 Aug 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 2456 | Submission Open
Keywords: computational fluid dynamics; urban air mobility; reduced order models; AI-enhanced flow prediction; wind turbulence; urban wind forecasting; microweather; wind gusts; wind-aware path planning
(This special issue belongs to the Section Innovative Urban Mobility)
Intelligent Cooperative Technologies of UAV Swarm Systems
edited by , and
submission deadline 20 Aug 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 1872 | Submission Open
Keywords: AI-enabled drones; intelligent perception and cognition; autonomous navigation and cooperative localization; AI-enabled decision-making and planning; countermeasures and confrontation; learning-based control and optimization; game-theoretical analysis; security and resilience
(This special issue belongs to the Section Artificial Intelligence in Drones (AID))
Flight Control and Collision Avoidance of UAVs: 2nd Edition
edited by Rodney Swee Huat Teo and
submission deadline 20 Aug 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1217 | Submission Open
Keywords: artificial intelligence; autonomous navigation; collision avoidance; guidance systems; computer vision; obstacle detection; decision making under uncertainty; safety verification; robust control; multi-object tracking and association; visual servoing; conflict prediction; conflict resolution; collision checking; risk assessment
UAV Path Planning Algorithms for Surveillance and Reconnaissance in Civil Applications submission deadline 28 Aug 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1751 | Submission Open
Keywords: path planning algorithms; civil surveillance; reconnaissance missions; autonomous navigation; obstacle avoidance; multi-UAV systems; machine learning for navigation; deep reinforcement learning; real-time trajectory optimization; cooperative motion planning; sensor fusion; urban monitoring; disaster response; infrastructure inspection; rotary-wing; fixed-wing and convertible UAVs; ethics and regulation in UAV operations
Navigation, Control and Mission Planning Advances for Safe, Efficient and Autonomous Drones: 2nd Edition submission deadline 30 Aug 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 4448 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone; path following; navigation; control; machine learning; autonomy; UAV; spacecraft
Advances and Innovations in Drone Technology for Mining and Construction Applications submission deadline 31 Aug 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 5773 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone technology (or UAV/UAS); aerial surveying and mapping; mining automation; construction monitoring; AI and machine learning in drones; safety and hazard inspection; environmental rehabilitation; digitalization in industry; rescue robotics and robotic mapping (UAV and terrestrial)
Control, Planning, and Embodied Intelligence of Agile UAVs in Indoor Environments
edited by , and Lin Zhao
submission deadline 31 Aug 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 5193 | Submission Open
Keywords: autonomous guidance and navigation; agile UAVs; indoor navigation; agile control; perception-aware planning; embodied intelligence
Physical-Layer Security in Drone Communications—2nd Edition
edited by Dongming Li, and Yi Lou
submission deadline 31 Aug 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 3958 | Submission Open
Keywords: drone communications; physical-layer security; key generation; drone jitter; beamforming and jamming; trajectory planning
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
UAV Swarm Intelligent Control and Decision-Making
edited by , and Bin Li
submission deadline 31 Aug 2026 | 7 articles | Viewed by 2713 | Submission Open
Keywords: intelligent decision-making; intelligent control; UAV swarms
(This special issue belongs to the Section Artificial Intelligence in Drones (AID))
Hydrogen and Hybrid Propulsion Systems for UAV Applications
edited by Ali Dinc, Onder Turan and
submission deadline 31 Aug 2026 | Viewed by 425 | Submission Open
Keywords: hydrogen propulsion and fuel cell system; hybrid-electric and fully electric UAVs; sustainable aviation and environmental impact assessment; propulsion system design; modeling; and optimization; energy management and power electronics; thermal management and heat transfer strategies; maintenance; reliability; and lifecycle assessment UAV operations; control; and performance evaluation; advanced manufacturing; materials; and smart structures
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Design and Development)
Drones and Machine Learning as a Complementary Tools in Wildlife Biology Studies
edited by and
submission deadline 20 Sep 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 19768 | Submission Open
Keywords: drones; machine learning; Yolo; DeepLabCut; IR Camera; artificial intelligence; behavioural studies
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drones in Ecology)
Intelligent Spectrum Management in UAV Communication
edited by Yu Zhang, Guoru Ding, , , Xumin Pu and
submission deadline 20 Sep 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2039 | Submission Open
Keywords: intelligent  spectrum management; UAV communications; spectrum sharing; cognitive radio; interference mitigation; intelligent spectrum sensing; AI-enabled wireless networks; UAV-assisted 5G/6G; non-terrestrial networks
(This special issue belongs to the Section Drone Communications)
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