Intelligent Navigation Systems for Aerospace and UAV Applications
A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Navigation and Positioning".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 55
Special Issue Editors
Interests: UAV navigation; UAV path planning; integrated navigation; cooperative navigation; UAM; urban traffic; GNSS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Navigation is of paramount relevance in any aerospace application. Aimed at estimating the state (including position and attitude) of the system at any epoch, it represents the basis for enabling autonomous functionalities. Accurate and reliable navigation solutions are mandatory for a wide range of applications, including both UAV and aircraft missions.
Although navigation topics have been widely discussed in the open literature, a reliable and assessed solution is still to be developed. Indeed, improved accuracy and resiliency must be provided to enable missions in all possible conditions. On the other hand, threats to the classical navigation solution, including GNSS jamming and spoofing, require the development of alternative solutions.
Therefore, this Special Issue aims to collect papers dealing with improved, alternative, and reliable navigation solutions. Papers will be solicited on all areas directly related to these topics, including, but not limited to, the following:
- UAV platform navigation and localization in outdoor environments;
- UAV platform navigation and localization in outdoor, indoor and/or GNSS-denied environments, and urban and/or GNSS-challenged areas;
- Aerial vehicle navigation;
- Sensor fusion for improving UAV and aerial vehicle navigation;
- Performance-based navigation;
- Required navigation performance;
- Use of exteroceptive sensors (camera, Lidar, UWB radar) aiding navigation;
- Alternative position navigation and timing;
- GNSS integrity monitoring, fault detection, and exclusion;
- Opportunistic navigation;
- Cooperative navigation for swarms of heterogeneous and/or homogeneous UAVs;
- UAV cooperative navigation in environments where GNSS is challenging or denied;
- AI-based navigation techniques.
Dr. Flavia Causa
Guest Editor
Dr. Federica Vitiello
Guest Editor Assistant
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. Sensors 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 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.
Keywords
- navigation
- GNSS challenges or denied environment
- aerial platforms
- alterative PNT
- integrity monitoring
- opportunistic navigation
- cooperative navigation
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