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A Review of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Formation Research
Review Article | Published: 24 January 2026
Aerospace Engineering Communications Volume 1, Issue 1, 2026: 3-27
Volume 1, Issue 1, Aerospace Engineering Communications
Volume 1, Issue 1, 2026
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Aerospace Engineering Communications, Volume 1, Issue 1, 2026: 3-27

Open Access | Review Article | 24 January 2026
A Review of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Formation Research
by
Wei Li Wei Li 1
Jinbiao Zhu Jinbiao Zhu 2 *
Tiejun Liu Tiejun Liu 1
Fan Ni Fan Ni 2
Yiheng Liu Yiheng Liu 3
Guoliang Liu Guoliang Liu 3
1 Honeycomb Aerospace Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing 100071, China
2 Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Acaemy of Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
3 Huzhou Institute of Zhejiang University, Huzhou 313098, China
* Corresponding Author: Jinbiao Zhu, [email protected]
DOI: 10.62762/AEC.2025.339037
ARK: ark:/57805/aec.2025.339037
Received: 30 November 2025, Accepted: 23 December 2025, Published: 24 January 2026  
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Abstract
Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation technology, as a crucial research direction in multi-agent system cooperative control, while facing constraints in multiple areas, has demonstrated broad application prospects in military reconnaissance, disaster monitoring, agricultural plant protection and other fields in recent years. This paper systematically reviews the key technological systems of fixed-wing UAV formation control, including formation configuration design, communication topology, cooperative control algorithms, navigation positioning and obstacle avoidance strategies. By analyzing the latest research progress, the performance differences between centralized and distributed control architectures were summarized, and the applicable scenarios of mainstream formation control strategies such as behavior method, virtual structure method, and navigation-follow method were compared. The research results show that hybrid control architectures combining model predictive control and reinforcement learning algorithms exhibit superior performance in complex environments. Meanwhile, this paper discusses the technical challenges faced by formation systems in terms of communication reliability, dynamic obstacle avoidance, and energy optimization. This paper highlights the critical transition from traditional control to AI-enabled autonomous cooperation. By identifying the limitations of current communication protocols and energy management strategies, it provides a roadmap for the theoretical research and engineering application of large-scale fixed-wing UAV formations.
Graphical Abstract
A Review of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Formation Research
Keywords
fixed-wing UAV
formation control
obstacle avoidance strategy
autonomous decision-making
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China under Grant 2022YFB3902602.
Conflicts of Interest
Wei Li and Tiejun Liu are affiliated with the Honeycomb Aerospace Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing 100071, China. The authors declare that this affiliation had no influence on the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or the decision to publish, and that no other competing interests exist.
AI Use Statement
The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate
Not applicable.
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Li, W., Zhu, J., Liu, T., Ni, F., Liu, Y., & Liu, G. (2026). A Review of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Formation Research. Aerospace Engineering Communications, 1(1), 3–27. https://doi.org/10.62762/AEC.2025.339037
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TY  - JOUR
AU  - Li, Wei
AU  - Zhu, Jinbiao
AU  - Liu, Tiejun
AU  - Ni, Fan
AU  - Liu, Yiheng
AU  - Liu, Guoliang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/24
TI  - A Review of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Formation Research
JO  - Aerospace Engineering Communications
T2  - Aerospace Engineering Communications
JF  - Aerospace Engineering Communications
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
SP  - 3
EP  - 27
DO  - 10.62762/AEC.2025.339037
UR  - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/AEC.2025.339037
KW  - fixed-wing UAV
KW  - formation control
KW  - obstacle avoidance strategy
KW  - autonomous decision-making
AB  - Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation technology, as a crucial research direction in multi-agent system cooperative control, while facing constraints in multiple areas, has demonstrated broad application prospects in military reconnaissance, disaster monitoring, agricultural plant protection and other fields in recent years. This paper systematically reviews the key technological systems of fixed-wing UAV formation control, including formation configuration design, communication topology, cooperative control algorithms, navigation positioning and obstacle avoidance strategies. By analyzing the latest research progress, the performance differences between centralized and distributed control architectures were summarized, and the applicable scenarios of mainstream formation control strategies such as behavior method, virtual structure method, and navigation-follow method were compared. The research results show that hybrid control architectures combining model predictive control and reinforcement learning algorithms exhibit superior performance in complex environments. Meanwhile, this paper discusses the technical challenges faced by formation systems in terms of communication reliability, dynamic obstacle avoidance, and energy optimization. This paper highlights the critical transition from traditional control to AI-enabled autonomous cooperation. By identifying the limitations of current communication protocols and energy management strategies, it provides a roadmap for the theoretical research and engineering application of large-scale fixed-wing UAV formations.
SN  - pending
PB  - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA  - English
ER  -
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@article{Li2026A,
  author = {Wei Li and Jinbiao Zhu and Tiejun Liu and Fan Ni and Yiheng Liu and Guoliang Liu},
  title = {A Review of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Formation Research},
  journal = {Aerospace Engineering Communications},
  year = {2026},
  volume = {1},
  number = {1},
  pages = {3-27},
  doi = {10.62762/AEC.2025.339037},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/AEC.2025.339037},
  abstract = {Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation technology, as a crucial research direction in multi-agent system cooperative control, while facing constraints in multiple areas, has demonstrated broad application prospects in military reconnaissance, disaster monitoring, agricultural plant protection and other fields in recent years. This paper systematically reviews the key technological systems of fixed-wing UAV formation control, including formation configuration design, communication topology, cooperative control algorithms, navigation positioning and obstacle avoidance strategies. By analyzing the latest research progress, the performance differences between centralized and distributed control architectures were summarized, and the applicable scenarios of mainstream formation control strategies such as behavior method, virtual structure method, and navigation-follow method were compared. The research results show that hybrid control architectures combining model predictive control and reinforcement learning algorithms exhibit superior performance in complex environments. Meanwhile, this paper discusses the technical challenges faced by formation systems in terms of communication reliability, dynamic obstacle avoidance, and energy optimization. This paper highlights the critical transition from traditional control to AI-enabled autonomous cooperation. By identifying the limitations of current communication protocols and energy management strategies, it provides a roadmap for the theoretical research and engineering application of large-scale fixed-wing UAV formations.},
  keywords = {fixed-wing UAV, formation control, obstacle avoidance strategy, autonomous decision-making},
  issn = {pending},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}
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