Hydrogen and Hybrid Propulsion Systems for UAV Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid evolution of aerospace technology is transforming the way aerial vehicles are designed, powered, and operated. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and emerging electric aircraft increasingly depend on hydrogen, hybrid-electric, and fully electric propulsion systems to achieve cleaner, quieter, and more efficient flight. These technologies—combined with advances in fuels, materials, control systems, and intelligent flight architectures—are driving the next generation of sustainable aerial mobility.

This Special Issue, “Next-Generation Propulsion for UAVs: Hydrogen, Hybrid, and Electric Systems,” aims to showcase cutting-edge research on propulsion technologies, fuel systems, materials engineering, control, and operational frameworks that enable high-performance, long-endurance, and environmentally responsible UAVs. It welcomes contributions that integrate multidisciplinary insights spanning energy conversion, system integration, aerodynamics, autonomous control, and lifecycle assessment, bridging scientific research with engineering practice.

The objective of this Special Issue is to gather original research articles and comprehensive reviews that advance both the fundamental understanding and practical implementation of hydrogen, hybrid, and electric propulsion for UAVs. Studies focusing on modeling, design, optimization, manufacturing, experimental validation, and operations are encouraged.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Hydrogen propulsion systems and fuel cell technologies.
• Hybrid-electric and battery-electric propulsion architectures.
• Propulsion system modeling, dynamic analysis, and optimization.
• Environmental and sustainability impacts of next-generation propulsion.
• Aerodynamics, propulsion–airframe coupling, and integrated design.
• UAV and electric aircraft system design, integration, and reliability.
• Energy and thermal management, power electronics, and energy conversion.
• Lightweight and high-strength materials, composites, and smart structures.
• Advanced and additive manufacturing for UAV systems.
• UAV design, performance assessment, and flight control optimization.
• Intelligent sensors, sensor fusion, and avionics integration.
• AI-based autonomy, flight algorithms, and decision-making frameworks.
• Digital twins, predictive maintenance, and system health monitoring.
• Maintenance, safety, and lifecycle cost analysis of hybrid and electric aircraft.
• UAV operations, air traffic management, and autonomous fleet coordination.
• Operator training, human–machine interfaces, and ground control systems.
• Experimental validation, certification, and standardization of hydrogen and hybrid systems.
• Applications in logistics, surveillance, defense, environmental monitoring, and scientific exploration.

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

Dr. Ali Dinc
Prof. Dr. Onder Turan
Prof. Dr. Selcuk Ekici
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. 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.

• 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