Advances in UAV Avionics Systems Architecture, Classification and Integration: A Comprehensive Review and Future Perspectives

TL;DR

The paper provides a comprehensive taxonomy and assessment of UAV avionics, covering communication, identification, energy, perception, planning, control, EW, and data buses within regulatory and safety contexts. It highlights how advances in multi-sensor fusion, SLAM, and trajectory optimization underpin increasingly autonomous UAV operations while confronting NP-hard planning and EW threats. By surveying energy options and databus standards, the work clarifies design trade-offs for endurance, reliability, and safety in civil airspace. The review also emphasizes regulatory, safety, and dataset challenges, and charts future directions in AI-driven autonomy, secure communication, and next-generation sensing. Overall, the paper offers a detailed blueprint of UAV avionics architecture and a pragmatic roadmap toward safer, more capable autonomous UAV systems.

Abstract

Avionics systems of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drone are the critical electronic components found onboard that regulate, navigate, and control UAV travel while ensuring public safety. Contemporary UAV avionics work together to facilitate success of UAV missions by enabling stable communication, secure identification protocols, novel energy solutions, multi-sensor accurate perception and autonomous navigation, precise path planning, that guarantees collision avoidance, reliable trajectory control, and efficient data transfer within the UAV system. Moreover, special consideration must be given to electronic warfare threats prevention, detection, and mitigation, and the regulatory framework associated with UAV operations. This review presents the role and taxonomy of each UAV avionics system while covering shortcomings and benefits of available alternatives within each system. UAV communication systems, antennas, and location communication tracking are surveyed. Identification systems that respond to air-to-air or air-to-ground interrogating signals are presented. UAV classical and more innovative power sources are discussed. The rapid development of perception systems improves UAV autonomous navigation and control capabilities. The paper reviews common perception systems, navigation techniques, path planning approaches, obstacle avoidance methods, and tracking control. Modern electronic warfare uses advanced techniques and has to be counteracted by equally advanced methods to keep the public safe. Consequently, this work presents a detailed overview of common electronic warfare threats and state-of-the-art countermeasures and defensive aids. UAV safety occurrences are analyzed in the context of national regulatory framework and the certification process. Databus communication and standards for UAVs are reviewed as they enable efficient and fast real-time data transfer.

Figures (9)

• Figure 1: Illustrative diagram of UAV avionics elements.
• Figure 2: UAV communication systems: Wired, wireless, vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, and vehicle-to-operator.
• Figure 3: RID Communication Technologies.
• Figure 4: Conceptual diagram of perception, motion planning and control.
• Figure 5: Classification of estimator and trajectory control design.