Cooperative Perception, Planning, and Control of Heterogeneous UAVs

Dear Colleagues,

Heterogeneous UAVs encompass two core types: model-heterogeneous UAVs and function-heterogeneous UAVs. Model-heterogeneous UAVs have distinct maneuverability and payload capacities, typical examples include high-speed fixed-wing UAVs and low-altitude multi-rotor UAVs. Function-heterogeneous UAVs integrate diverse sensors and payloads to enable functions such as reconnaissance, strike, damage assessment, and electronic jamming. Their synergistic operation has become indispensable for complex missions, ranging from military operations to civilian disaster rescue scenarios. In military scenarios, reconnaissance UAVs locate targets, strike UAVs execute tasks, and assessment UAVs verify effects—the civilian equivalent would involve long-endurance model-heterogeneous UAVs expanding coverage and function-heterogeneous UAVs equipped with thermal imagers detecting survivors.​

Yet, their cooperative perception, planning, and control face unique bottlenecks. Model heterogeneity leads to mismatched motion constraints; a typical case is that slow multi-rotor UAVs struggle to coordinate with fast fixed-wing UAVs. Function heterogeneity causes multi-source data inconsistency; for instance, reconnaissance images, jamming signals, and payload status all require unified fusion. Otherwise, dynamic disturbances, such as electromagnetic interference and sudden task changes, further undermine synergy robustness. Conventional homogeneous UAV collaboration methods fail to address these issues.​

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research on bridging theory and practice in this field. Submissions from academia and industry are welcome.​ The Special Issue welcomes submissions related, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Cooperative perception with heterogeneous sensors for UAVs;
• Robust cooperative path planning under environmental uncertainties;
• Cooperative control for heterogeneous dynamics consensus;
• AI-driven dynamic cooperative decision-making for heterogeneous UAVs;
• Navigation autonomy in GNSS-denied environments;
• Heterogeneous multi-agent cross-domain synergy;
• Safety-aware cooperative control.

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

Prof. Dr. Yuan Yuan
Dr. Qian Zhang
Dr. Huanhuan Yuan
Guest Editors

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• 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