Peer-reviewed aviation & aerospace research

Showing 157 of 157 papers

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2027Scopus-indexed

  Integrating theory of planned behavior and value-belief-norm framework to explain voluntary carbon offsetting intentions in aviation: Evidence from Vietnamese air passengers

  Nguyen Thi Cam Le, Hoang Thi Kim Quy

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103122

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2027Scopus-indexed

  A latent class approach to estimate passengers’ air itinerary preferences in Indian domestic aviation market

  Mustansir Farooq, M. Manoj, K. Ramachandra Rao

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103096

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2027Scopus-indexed

  Human factor risk in Canadian aviation: A multi-method analysis of phase, propulsion, and provincial heterogeneity using CADORS data

  Ammar Abulibdeh, Suzanne Kearns, Gülnaz Bülbül, Amr ElAlfy

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103118

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2027Scopus-indexed

  Signals, appraisal, and control: A dual-pathway model of safety enforcement in airline cabins

  Hyejeong Lee, Hwansuk Chris Choi, Chul Jeong

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103114

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2027Scopus-indexed

  Impact of carbon emission trading on airline operations: Organizational structures and pricing strategies under the carbon abatement consensus

  Lei Xu, Junwei Zhang, Sachin Kumar Mangla, Felix T.S. Chan, Peng Du

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103099

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  A tendon-driven continuum robotic system intended for aircraft fuel-tank maintenance: Friction-elasticity coupled transmission modeling and prototype evaluation

  Yubin Wang, Hualong Xie, Zhenyu Gao, Xiaofeng Ma

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113686

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Complex network analysis and thermal protection design of eVTOL lithium-ion battery systems for safety enhancement

  Juan Yang, Wenjing Li, Weicheng Ye, Yanpeng Liang, Weilong Yang, Jiang Xie, Qingsong Zhang

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113844

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Experimental investigation on de-icing characteristics of a composite electro-thermal ice protection system

  Han Gong, Guiping Lin, Kuiyuan Ma, Haichuan Jin, Hui Gao, Yuandong Guo, Xiaobin Shen, Xueqin Bu

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113839

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Multi-mission multidisciplinary design optimization of hybrid-electric aircraft under probabilistic operational scenarios

  Luca Pustina, Riccardo Malpica Galassi, Franco Mastroddi

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113655

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Passive safety for perturbed spacecraft swarms: A maintenance planning framework via sequential network reconfiguration

  Chenglong Xu, Chengxi Zhang, Xiaobin Lian, Hao Gong, Chengfei Yue, Jihe Wang

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113747

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Influence of sustainable aviation fuel on the hot corrosion resistance of nickel-based superalloys and its mechanisms

  Lu Zhang, Yidong Zheng, Minxin Guo, Shiqi Yang, Zhiwei Yu, Xing’ao Xu, Zhe Liu, Yi Jin, et al.

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113872

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Research on lateral-directional coupling characteristics of a distributed propulsion aircraft

  Bei Liu, Aolin Liu, Xingya Da, Longkai Guo

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113723

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Domain Generalization for Aircraft Engine RUL Prediction under Varying Working Conditions with Multi-Scale Dynamic Contrastive Learning

  Jian Li, Huimin Zhao, Shifu Liu, Wu Deng

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113810

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Bayesian regularized neural network with weighted multi-source data fusion for static source position error correction in civil aircraft

  Hui Yang, Ni Li, Changyin Dong, Zhirui Li, Jiahua Dai, Yuan Zhong, Jian Guan

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113148

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Aircraft performance guided neural stochastic differential equations: A deep generative model for aircraft trajectories in the terminal maneuvering areas

  Jie Bao, Rui Huang, Junfeng Zhang, Xuhao Gui, Jiawei Kang

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113740

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  LEVER-UQ: A probabilistic pre-design framework for scenario-based assessment of aviation sustainability levers

  Kristina Mazur, Mirko Hornung

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113718

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Microalgae-based sustainable aviation fuel: Integrating feedstock characteristics, cultivation water systems, and conversion pathways

  Daneh Ali Khalili, Rayane Akoumeh, Maryam Al-Ejji, Probir Das, Alaa H. Hawari

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113830

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Probabilistic inverse airfoil design using experimentally-driven machine learning models

  Howon Lee, Pranay Seshadri, Juergen Rauleder

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113783

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Safety-Critical H-infinity optimal control for hypersonic morphing vehicles under asymmetric Morphing-Rate and Flight-Envelope constraints

  Yuteng Chen, Jing Chang, Chunyiding Shang, Weisheng Chen, Xiaoping Li, Weimin Bao

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113692

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  A cross-architecture attribution framework for localization reliability for enhancing safety in spacecraft collision avoidance

  Mujia Shi, Heng Zhang, Jinshuo Qu, Dong Wang, Yong Hu, Jiantao Shi, Aiguo Song, Lihang Feng

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113815

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2027Scopus-indexed

  Fault-tolerant composite adaptive neural control with safety guarantees for multirotors in UAM applications

  Mahdi Shahrajabian, Fariborz Saghafi

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113749

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  Engineering assessment of bird-strike vulnerability across aircraft propulsion architectures

  Özgür Yurtsever, Doruk Gürkan

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113448

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  Predefined-time disturbance-rejection tracking control applied to vertical take-off and landing aircraft systems

  Xiaohua Liu, Guangxin Guo, Qinao Zhang

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113525

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  Robust safety-critical control for attitude tracking on TSO(3)

  Jiayu Gu, Ningshan Wang

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113557

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  Decision-conditioned causal graph mamba for risk-aware aero-engine remaining useful life prediction with fuzzy mission-safety decision support

  A. Faizanbasha, Naif Almakayeel, Syed Tahir Hussainy, U. Rizwan, Fazilath Basha Asif, V.K. Md Aksam

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113299

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  Effect of cowl duct opening/closing on subsonic and supersonic performance of an adaptive cycle engine inlet

  Lu Bai, Wenjian Deng, Zhanxue Wang, Zinan Zhao

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113593

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  Mission-level assessment of subsystems electrification in hybrid-electric turboprop aircraft conceptual design

  Yu Cai, Jiacheng Xie, Sijian Tan, Dimitri N. Mavris

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113482

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  Air refueling planning for CAP positions maintenance mission on multiple defense layers of the aircraft carrier

  Wenhao Bi, Mengqi Zhang, Yuxiang Li, An Zhang

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113446

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  An interpretable mechanism learning and ensemble framework for aircraft fuel flow prediction using operational QAR data

  Jinglei Yu, Mengyuan Lu, Guangcheng Chen, Dongcheng Chen, Yinger Zheng, Chun Wang, Yiqin Bai

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113518

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace Science and Technology2026Scopus-indexed

  An explainable safety assessment and decision framework for UAV emergency landing in urban low-altitude airspace

  Jintao Tan, Xia Luo, Chenglong Li

  doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.113549

• Aviation safety & accidentsAccident Analysis & Prevention2026Scopus-indexed

  Real-time risk assessment of logistics drones considering uncertainty and multi-source risk factors

  Chuanqi Ma, Lingshu Zhong, Huasa Zhu, Mingyang Pei, Zirun Wang, Ming Cai

  doi:10.1016/j.aap.2026.108768

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  A capability-cost replacement model for military transport aircraft

  Millie A. Hale, Adam D. Reiman, Jacob D. Maywald, Aaron V. Glassburner

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103069

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Gender (In)equality in aviation academia in Australia and New Zealand: Challenges, progress, and future directions

  Bojana Spasojevic, Chrystal Zhang, Nnenna Ike, Mona Yang

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103087

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Integrating behavior-based safety and human factors analysis for FOD prevention in Philippine airports

  Arthur Dela Peňa

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103066

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  The impact of climate degradation originating from the aviation sector on financial development and ESG index: EU member states’ case

  Mehmet Ali Polat, Magdalena Radulescu, Muhammed Fatih Yürük, H. Yusuf Güngör, Ahmet Şi̇t

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103067

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Collaborative optimization of air route network and flight path for air traffic demand adaptation

  Dong Sui, Na Yang, Zhipeng Cui, Guoliang Zou

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103071

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Safe skies begin with safe voices: Leadership and reporting in aviation

  Bao Vo, Hoang Thi Kim Quy

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103072

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Detection, identification and analysis of go-arounds in commercial aviation at Spanish airports using ADS-B data

  Alex Elliott, Santiago Pindado

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103084

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Preface to special issue on “AI for Fluids Research and Aircraft Design”

  Xiang YANG, Weiwei ZHANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104345

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Design and analysis of a new high-torque-density three-dimensional magnetic circuit permanent magnet motor in aircraft electrical propulsion applications

  Jinquan XU, Xiao LI, Hong GUO, Boyi ZHANG, Jiakang ZHAO

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104093

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Constraint-driven design of a low-coupling segmented triple three-phase permanent-magnet starter-generator for more electric aircraft

  Bo WANG, Zeliang ZHANG, Muhammad KHOWJA, Gaurang VAKIL, Chris GERADA, Tao YANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104263

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  A review on truss structures in aircraft design and optimization

  Pengfei YAN, Dahai ZHANG, Fangzhou LU, Xudong ZHANG, Dong YANG, Peifei XU, Yanbin LI, Qingguo FEI

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104158

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Numerical simulation and validation on hydrodynamic models for artificial bird impacted with aircraft structures

  Chunyang ZHANG, Miao CAO, Weijie MA, Fuzeng HUANG, Zongxing LIU, Yulong LI, Jun LIU

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104163

• Aviation safety & accidentsChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed7 citations

  Optimizing safety buffer spacing and 3D dynamic obstacle avoidance strategies for urban low-altitude UAV (swarm) operations

  Qingwei ZHONG, Yingxue YU, Linfeng ZHONG, Yongxiang ZHANG, Su LIU, Weijun PAN, Xu YAN

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2025.103901

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  An integrated sensing and random access scheme for the aircraft-to-LEO satellite uplink

  Zhe SONG, Luyou ZHANG, Shuai WANG, Xin JIN, Jianping AN

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104349

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Probabilistic Closest Point of Approach (CPA) for Collision Risk Monitoring and Analysis

  Fahimeh Ghorbani, Lance Sherry, John Shortle

  Closest Point of Approach (CPA) is widely used in surveillance-based collision-risk monitoring to estimate the time and minimum lateral and vertical separation between projected aircraft trajectories over a bounded future horizon. Deterministic CPA performs this calculation from the current position, speed, and heading of each aircraft, making it interpretable and computationally efficient. However, in terminal airspace, where aircraft frequently turn, straighten, and capture approach paths, a single projected trajectory may not adequately represent plausible short-term heading evolution. This study develops a probabilistic extension of bounded-horizon CPA, denoted probabilistic P-CPA, that preserves the familiar CPA-family outputs while estimating the probability that a predefined safety volume is entered under short-term heading uncertainty. State-dependent maneuver-transition probabilities and heading-change distributions were learned from historical trajectories and propagated through Monte Carlo simulation, with the assessment recomputed at each synchronized 5 s observation. The method was evaluated using six months of arrivals to San Francisco International Airport runways 28L and 28R. The results show that probabilistic P-CPA identifies scenarios in which deterministic CPA outcomes are sensitive to plausible short-term heading evolution, particularly when aircraft are entering, continuing, or exiting turns. Implications of this capability, limitations, and future work are discussed.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13100867

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Effects of Pulsation Amplitude on Primary Breakup and Spray Characteristics of an Aviation Kerosene Jet in Subsonic Crossflow

  Gangyi Fang, Yi Zhao, Yiqin Kang, Fei Xing

  Pulsating injection offers a potential strategy for controlling fuel sprays in aerospace propulsion systems, yet the effects of pulsation amplitude on liquid-jet breakup and spray characteristics in gaseous crossflow remain insufficiently understood. In this study, a volume-of-fluid (VOF) method with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is employed to investigate aviation kerosene jets in a subsonic crossflow and quantify amplitude effects on atomization. The results show that increasing the amplitude intensifies local liquid-column deformation and promotes earlier primary breakup. As the pulsation amplitude (β) increases from 0.05 to 0.25, the surface wavelength remains nearly unchanged, whereas the necking ratio decreases by 55.7%, and the primary breakup distance is reduced by 16.79–49.26% relative to the steady jet. At a downstream distance of 70 injector diameters (x/d=70), the penetration depth of the pulsating jets is 9.37–14.38% greater than that of the steady jet and reaches its maximum at β=0.15 under the present conditions. For the pulsating jets, earlier primary breakup does not necessarily produce smaller downstream droplets. Under the common numerical resolution, the resolved downstream droplet population shows an overall shift toward larger sizes as the pulsation amplitude increases, as reflected by the increasing trends of the Sauter mean diameter (SMD), number-based median diameter (DN50), and number-based 90th-percentile diameter (DN90). These results clarify the distinct effects of pulsation amplitude on primary breakup, spray penetration, and downstream droplet size, providing guidance for amplitude selection in active fuel-spray control.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13100866

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Assessing technologies towards sustainable aviation: a scenario-based analysis using AeroMAPS

  Adham Sarhan, Pavlos Rompokos, Ioannis Roumeliotis, Pericles Pilidis

  Radically reducing the carbon footprint of civil aviation by 2050 may not be possible via technological advancements on aircraft and propulsion system level alone, but with the combined effort of the integration of alternative fuels and carbon offsetting strategies. The paper examines potential decarbonisation pathways for commercial aviation through the application of the framework AeroMAPS. The suitability of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), hydrogen propulsion and electrification in reducing long-term climate impacts across short-, medium- and long-range fleet groups is assessed. Each pathway is first evaluated individually to determine its fundamental feasibility. SAF provides practical near-term reductions due to its drop-in compatibility, although its long-term contribution is limited by feedstock constraints, production costs and continued non-CO 2 effects. Hydrogen propulsion offers greater long-term mitigation through the removal of soot and sulphur emissions, but requires clean hydrogen production, cryogenic storage and new aircraft architectures. Electrification shows a benefit in short-range operations, while remaining challenging for longer-range missions owing to battery energy limits. A combined scenario is subsequently proposed to integrate the strengths of the three approaches. This configuration achieves deeper cumulative emissions reductions than any single pathway alone. An additional Jet A1 plus offsets scenario is analysed to reflect an alternative strategy with lower near-term infrastructure demands. The findings provide a preliminary system level reference for understanding the trade-offs, constraints and progression of propulsion and fuel technologies relevant to aviation’s transition towards net-zero emissions.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10232

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  An Intelligent Assisted Decision-Making Framework for Area Control Tasks

  Zekai Zhou, Yuxin Nie, Dong Sui, Mingze Sun, Chenyu Ma

  The continuous growth of air traffic has significantly increased the workload of air traffic controllers (ATCOs), posing challenges to the efficient and safe operation of area control. This paper proposes an intelligent decision-making framework for en-route sector operations based on an analysis of the primary tasks of area controllers. Firstly, a sector altitude profile planning (APP) model is developed using multi-objective mixed-integer programming, with linearisation techniques applied to enhance solving efficiency. The multi-objective model is addressed using a hierarchical sequencing method. Secondly, a multi-aircraft conflict resolution (MACR) model is developed based on a partially observable Markov game (POMG) framework, utilising a discrete action space. The altitude profile generated by the planning model is input into the conflict resolution model as a pre-planning scenario to enable constrained, sector-based, conflict-free operations. Additionally, invalid action masking techniques are applied within the model to enhance its effectiveness and ensure operational feasibility. To address scalability issues, the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (MADDPG) algorithm is enhanced with a dynamic scaling mechanism. Scenario samples are constructed for validation at the 3D level using real airspace structures and traffic flow data. Experimental results demonstrate that the planning model reduces conflicts in 86.6% of the scenario samples and optimises flight altitudes in 65.6% of the samples. The trained multi-aircraft conflict resolution model resolves 80.52% of conflicts in the test scenarios. The average control task completion rate in joint simulation experiments reaches 97.16%. In addition, we investigate the model performance under different traffic scales. The proposed framework provides guidance for the development of intelligent decision-making systems for en-route sector operations.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13100855

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Manifold Learning with Implicit Physics Embedding for Reduced-Order Flowfield Modeling

  Weiji Wang, Chunlin Gong, Chunna Li

  Nonlinear manifold-learning (ML)-based reduced-order models (ROMs) can substantially improve the quality of nonlinear flowfield modeling. However, insufficient physical information often distorts the dimensionality-reduction process, reducing the robustness and accuracy of flowfield prediction. To address this problem, we propose a novel manifold-learning ROM with implicit physics embedding (IPE-ML). The approach involves initial dimensionality reduction followed by Gaussian process regression (GPR) to map physical parameters (e.g., angle of attack and Mach number) to manifold coordinates. These parameters are then iteratively incorporated into the manifold structure by minimizing GPR prediction error through online model updating, effectively fine-tuning the coordinates for a final, high-accuracy flowfield prediction model. Validated on transonic RAE2822 and supersonic hexagon airfoil cases, IPE-ML significantly improves the overall prediction accuracy of nonlinear flowfields. Specifically, errors near shock waves are notably reduced in the transonic case, while errors remain confined to small local regions in the supersonic case. This study offers a new perspective on embedding physical information into nonlinear ROMs.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c039010

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Optimal Flight Planning for Marine Mammal Surveillance from a Seaplane Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

  Brian A. Epstein, Jonathan D. Rogers

  Unmanned aerial vehicles are playing an increasing role in environmental monitoring and wildlife conservation activities. This paper describes an optimal flight planning algorithm for a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle designed to search for and identify whales in the open ocean over long-duration deployments spanning several weeks or months. The algorithm makes decisions about whether the aircraft should take off, cruise, land, or float to save energy at each decision stage, based on battery state of charge, weather conditions, and whale observation probability. This decision-making problem is cast as a Markov decision process, and an optimal controller is derived using Bellman recursion. A simulation environment is constructed using reanalysis weather data and whale observation models derived from empirical data. Simulation results show that the optimal control algorithm significantly outperforms a standard threshold-based decision-making algorithm in terms of increased whale sightings and reduced failure rates. Furthermore, simulation results provide insight into the optimal battery size for the unmanned aerial vehicle, which is seen to exhibit some variation as a function of the latitude and longitude at which the aircraft is deployed.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038826

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Cross-Domain Fluid Dynamics of a Propulsion Wing

  Suyu Jiang, Junjie Wang, Bo Song, Jiaxin Lu

  The air–water interface exerts a profound influence on cross-domain aircraft during water entry and exit. This study investigates the air–water coupling characteristics of propulsion wings during air–water transition using the volume of fluid method with a sliding mesh. The force and torque coefficients were experimentally validated using a six-component force balance. The research reveals that the propulsion wing in ground effect restrains the diffusion of the downward jet flow generated by the crossflow fan, forcing the airflow to deflect laterally and creating a high-pressure region beneath the wing, thereby enhancing lift by 7.32%. Unlike the rigid interface associated with the ground effect, the flexible interface deforms and dissipates kinetic energy during the propulsion wing in the water effect, resulting in lift degradation. In addition, the propulsion wing experiences a 52.4% lift enhancement during the inverted ceiling effect (ICE) when it approaches the water surface ([Formula: see text]). The mechanism of ICE involves inflow restriction, air–water mixing, and the formation of a large pressure difference. Furthermore, a semi-empirical model developed for the transition process predicts the correlations among depth ratio, rotational speed, forces, and power. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the control of cross-media aircraft.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038796

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Thermal-Structural Design and Assessment of a Composite Liquid-Hydrogen Tank for Regional Aircraft Applications

  Wenyuan Zhang, Tony Murmu, Daisan Gopalasingam, Bassam Rakhshani

  Liquid hydrogen offers high gravimetric energy density for low-carbon aviation, but its cryogenic storage imposes stringent geometric, structural, and thermal constraints. This study develops an integrated preliminary design framework for a non-integral liquid-hydrogen tank for a regional aircraft retrofit. Fuel demand for a representative 300-nautical-mile (NM) mission was converted into the required storage volume, followed by parametric geometry definition, material selection, finite-element structural analysis, and steady-state thermal analysis. A circular cylindrical tank with hemispherical heads was selected, providing an internal volume of 4.96 m3, a diameter of 1.56 m, and a total length of 3.12 m. Under an internal pressure of 1 MPa, the symmetric 32-ply T700/epoxy overwrap achieved a minimum ply safety factor of 3.2104. The Al 2219-T87 liner reached a maximum von Mises stress of 306.66 MPa and a minimum safety factor of 1.1837, making it the governing structural component. The predicted heat leak was 14.832 W, corresponding to a boil-off rate of 2.88 kg/day (0.912%/day). The tank mass was 318.9 kg, and the estimated system gravimetric index was 45.2–47.4%. These results support the preliminary feasibility of the proposed configuration and identify liner optimisation and boss-region insulation as priorities for further development.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090850

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Job requirements in a single pilot operation in future commercial aviation

  Frank Zinn, Sarai Borchardt, Sophie Möller, Frank Albers

  Single pilot operation (SPO) is now coming into focus, as advances in automation and artificial intelligence may allow the implementation of certain SPO concepts in commercial aviation within the upcoming years. At the same time, commercial aviation is facing a rising demand, increasing operating costs, and an enduring shortage of pilots. SPO implies far-reaching changes to the pilot positions and brings up questions regarding the inevitable guarantee of today’s safety standards, also related to the job requirements of SPO. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the requirements of the future SPO positions in comparison to today’s dual pilot (DP) position. The Fleishman Job Analysis Survey was administered to 40 airline pilots to evaluate the required levels of 75 different abilities and skills from five domains: cognitive, psychomotor, physical, sensory and interactive. Beforehand, participants were introduced to a reference SPO concept comprising two human roles – onboard pilot (OBP) and remote pilot (RP) – assisted by AI. Statistical analyses revealed high similarity between DP and OBP in terms of their requirement profile, whereas RP’s requirement profile diverged significantly at a predominantly lower level. On three cognitive and five important interactive requirements, the OBP position demands a higher level than the DP position. The results suggest that personnel selection concepts require no major but some minor adjustments when selecting personnel for SPOs. However, future technical developments have to consider these results to strive for maximum safety.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10214

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Perspective-n-Point Post Optimization for Far-Field Pose Measurement Based on Weighted Central Normalization

  Xiao Pan, Bo Feng, Boxu Zhu, Yifei Liu, Qiming Liu

  Far-field vision-based pose measurement is a crucial technology for applications such as high-resolution Earth observation and space security early warning. However, owing to the perspective imaging model of long-range optical systems, conventional vision-based pose measurement methods are highly susceptible to image noise and pose parameter coupling, leading to significant estimation deviations. Consequently, these methods fail to meet the rigorous requirements for the accurate measurement and intelligent perception of object poses in far-field scenarios, particularly when the object distance significantly exceeds the focal length. To address these challenges, this paper presents a Perspective-n-Point (PnP) preprocessing and post-optimization method for far-field pose measurement based on weighted central normalization. First, the Robust PnP (RPnP) algorithm is employed to obtain an initial pose for the far-field object, and an objective function is formulated by minimizing the reprojection error of the image feature points. Second, central normalization is applied to the Jacobian matrix of the pose parameters, and the information matrix is weighted according to the localization uncertainty of the image feature points. Finally, a weighted nonlinear optimization is executed to obtain refined pose parameters. Under the tested conditions, this approach can reduce the sensitivity of the pose parameters to image noise, minimizes the coupling among extrinsic parameters, and reduces the tendency of noise-driven pose-update excursions. The proposed method is evaluated through simulations and scaled physical relative-comparison experiments, supporting its potential for numerically stable vision-based pose measurement of far-field objects in aerospace and related domains. Noise-and-turbulence simulations demonstrate the pose-refinement benefit of CS and improved rotation estimation with a known spatial covariance model.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090846

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Superior Distributions of Mach Numbers in Osculating Waverider Using Variable Conical Flows

  Chuanzhen Liu, Deying Meng, Peng Bai, Peng Liao, Hanpeng Lin, Yanhui Duan

  In order to study the superior distributions of Mach numbers in the variable-Mach-number waverider (VMW), this work employed B-spline to represent Mach number distributions. The superior distributions of VMWs were determined due to the fact that the VMWs featured better lift-to-drag ([Formula: see text]) ratios than the conventional fixed-Mach-number waveriders (FMWs) with the same leading edge and volume. One hundred samples of Mach number distributions were generated, and then 100 VMWs were built, along with 100 FMWs by adjusting the design Mach number. Automated procedures of computational fluid dynamics were applied to calculate the aerodynamic performance of the waveriders. The results indicate that B-spline showed strong control ability, diversity, and smoothness in expressing Mach number distributions. When the leading edges and volume were identical, the probability of finding superior VMWs over a wide range of velocities was just 17%; accordingly, the average performance of the VMWs was worse than that of FMWs. Although VMWs have the potential to break the variation trend in the aerodynamic performance of conventional waveriders, the probability of being superior to FMWs is low. The flowfield analysis of the superior configuration indicates that the VMW exhibited a larger pressure gradient on the lower surface, which may account for its performance differences compared with traditional waveriders.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c039245

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Advanced Small Perturbation Potential Flow Theory for Unsteady Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Analyses

  John T. Batina

  An advanced small perturbation (ASP) potential flow theory has been developed to improve upon the classical transonic small perturbation (TSP) theories that have been used in various computer codes. These computer codes are typically used for unsteady aerodynamic and aeroelastic analyses in the nonlinear transonic flight regime. The codes exploit the simplicity of stationary Cartesian meshes, with the movement or deformation of the configuration under consideration incorporated into the solution algorithm through a surface boundary condition. The formulaic details of the ASP theory are described, and the improvements are demonstrated through careful comparisons with accurate alternative calculations. The new ASP potential flow theory, including entropy, vorticity, and viscous effects, is shown to be mathematically more appropriate and computationally more accurate than the classical TSP theories. Thus, the ASP theory has been used as the basis for a new computer code called Advanced Small Perturbation—3D (ASP3D), which is briefly described along with representative unsteady aerodynamic and aeroelastic results.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c039050

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Safety-Guaranteed Go-Around Decision Framework Based on Funnel for Automatic Carrier Landing Systems

  Zhen Liu, Jianjun Luo, Yunzhao Liu, Weihua Ma

  Existing go-around decision methods for Automatic Carrier Landing Systems (ACLSs) are mainly based on altitude deviation. The safe region implied by these methods is therefore effectively single-dimensional, which can lead to overly conservative and incomplete go-around decisions because the remaining state deviations are not evaluated. This paper proposes a safety-guaranteed go-around decision framework based on a funnel that explicitly characterizes the time-varying safe region in the multi-dimensional state space throughout the landing process, thereby enabling safe and precise decisions. A six-dimensional funnel is then computed backward from the terminal set using sum-of-squares programming while accounting for nonlinear dynamics, actuator saturation constraints, and prescribed bounded uncertainties. The resulting funnel guarantees that all closed-loop trajectories initialized within it remain within the subsequent funnel and reach the terminal set at the final time. In the online stage, the online go-around decision module evaluates at each sampling instant whether the complete six-dimensional state deviation lies inside the corresponding precomputed funnel and outputs either the continue-landing decision or the go-around decision. Simulation results show that incorporating the range state reduces the mean, maximum, and standard deviation of the terminal altitude deviations by approximately 68%, 64%, and 66%, respectively, and the corresponding statistics of the terminal range deviations by approximately 99%. Under a representative deck-motion disturbance, the framework remains effective after the six-dimensional funnel is recomputed offline. The proposed method also avoids unnecessary go-around decisions when the altitude component exceeds the conventional threshold but the complete six-dimensional state deviation remains inside the funnel.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090842

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Surrogate-Assisted Multi-Objective Aeroacoustic Optimization of a Small-Scale Rotor in Hover Mode

  Xiaolu Wang, Yongzheng Zhao, Jiahao Li, Jianing Fan, Zixuan Dong, Liuzhen Qin

  Small-scale rotor design must balance hover efficiency and acoustic performance; however, costly aeroacoustic evaluations make multi-objective optimization computationally demanding. This study develops a surrogate-assisted framework using eight radial basis-function variables to parameterize spanwise chord and twist variations. Aerodynamic loads are evaluated with a reformulated vortex-particle method, while acoustic models estimate tonal and broadband noise. Baseline validation results in a 3.1% thrust coefficient error and captures the principal acoustic directivity trend. Gradient-boosted regression trees guide adaptive sampling, with candidate designs required to retain at least 95% of the baseline thrust coefficient. A total of 304 direct evaluations identify a 16-design thrust-feasible Pareto front. At 5400 RPM, the maximum-FM design improves FM by 11.31% while reducing OASPL by 1.06 dB, whereas the minimum-noise design reduces OASPL by 2.97 dB while increasing FM by 3.00%. Thrust-matched reassessment confirms that these performance benefits are maintained with lower shaft-power requirements. The improvements are primarily the result of the selective spanwise redistribution of thrust and torque rather than uniform unloading; the minimum-noise design shifts loading inboard and weakens the outer-span wake, whereas the maximum-FM design increases thrust while limiting torque growth and produces stronger downstream momentum transfer.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090841

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Wind Tunnel Tests of Dynamically Scaled Lift- and Thrust-Compounded Helicopter Configurations

  Vivek Uppoor, Inderjit Chopra

  This paper presents a high-speed wind tunnel investigation of compound helicopter aeromechanics, focusing on the effects of various lift and thrust compounding strategies. Six rotorcraft configurations, incorporating various combinations of wings and a pusher propeller, were tested at advance ratios up to 0.7. The comprehensive dataset includes measurements of performance, blade structural loads, and hub vibratory loads. The test data were used to validate the University of Maryland Advanced Rotorcraft Code (UMARC) comprehensive analysis model. Results show that asymmetric half-wing lift compounding is most beneficial for maximizing high-speed lift-to-drag ratio due to a combination of wing–rotor lift sharing and rotor lift offset. Wing lift sharing significantly reduces blade structural and vibratory loads. At high advance ratios, achieving propulsive trim requires substantial propeller power, exceeding that of the main rotor. The results highlight the tradeoffs among lift sharing, structural loading, and propulsive power that govern efficient high-speed compound helicopter design.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c039019

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Integrated Airframe Digital Twin Framework for Fatigue Tracking of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

  Xuan Zhou, Leiting Dong, Michal Dziendzikowski, Krzysztof Dragan, Marco Giglio, Claudio Sbarufatti

  Structural fatigue is one of the primary factors affecting the structural integrity and operational safety of aircraft during their service life. As flight hours accumulate and mission profiles become increasingly complex, accurately assessing and predicting fatigue damage becomes critical for ensuring airworthiness and optimizing maintenance planning. The Airframe Digital Twin has emerged as a promising paradigm for addressing this challenge, enabling structural fatigue diagnosis and prognosis through the development of multiphysics, multiscale, and probabilistic virtual representations of as-built systems. This paper presents a comprehensive and integrated framework for constructing the digital twin of an unmanned aerial vehicle, incorporating in-service load tracking, multilevel structural analysis, and probabilistic diagnosis and prognosis. The flight test of the unmanned aerial vehicle is utilized to validate the proposed framework. Results demonstrate that the developed digital twin can effectively predict fatigue crack growth in real time using only flight parameters as input. Furthermore, with inspection data available, the digital twin can be updated to provide a more accurate prediction of future damage evolution. These insights offer valuable guidance to optimize aircraft fleet maintenance strategies, thereby enhancing safety and cost-effectiveness.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038596

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Gradient-Based Internal–External Flow Coupling Optimization for Embedded-Inlet Aircraft

  Yuning Liu, Libo Wang, Tihao Yang, Yiwen Wang, Yayun Shi

  As aerodynamic configurations become increasingly integrated with propulsion systems, internal–external flow coupling has become a key issue in airframe–engine integration. For embedded-inlet configurations, however, the airframe and inlet/exhaust system have different geometric shaping requirements, making their design variables difficult to represent within a unified gradient-based optimization framework. This study develops a continuous parameterization method for embedded inlets that simultaneously controls cross-sectional profiles, area distribution, and centerline under large cross-sectional rotation angles. The method combines B-spline curves, shape blending functions, quaternion-based transformations, and free-form deformation (FFD) to establish a hybrid parameterization framework for coupled internal–external flow optimization. Analytical geometric sensitivities of the inlet surface mesh with respect to profile, area-distribution, and centerline variables are derived through the complete parameterization chain and coupled with discrete-adjoint flow sensitivities, enabling gradient evaluation for both external aerodynamic-shape and internal inlet-geometry variables. The framework is applied to full-configuration multipoint optimization of an aircraft with an embedded inlet. Aerodynamic drag is reduced by 2.82% and 2.36% at the two design points, while inlet drag decreases by 4.44 and 4.63 counts (1 count = 0.0001). Under distortion-coefficient and mass-flow-rate constraints, the inlet-exit total pressure recovery coefficient increases by 0.54% and 0.41%, respectively. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for integrated internal–external flow optimization and its potential for airframe–engine integrated design.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090835

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Origin of the State Equation in the Goman–Khrabrov Unsteady Aerodynamic Model

  J. Gordon Leishman

  doi:10.2514/1.c039159

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Roughness-Tolerant Low-Drag Airfoils for Wind Turbine and Hydrokinetic Turbine Applications

  Chahat Bhatia, Lakshmi N. Sankar

  doi:10.2514/1.c038963

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Lightweight Design of Aircraft Engine Pylon Using Multi-Load Topology and Size Optimization

  Wei Yuan, Lei Li, Yiru Ren, Junqiang Bai, Jiakuan Xu, Zeying Yang

  The lightweight design of an aircraft engine pylon requires an efficient structural layout capable of accommodating multiple load cases. An integrated lightweight design framework combining multi-load topology optimization and size optimization is developed. The three-field SIMP method with a weighted-compliance objective is employed to identify the dominant load-transfer paths under multiple representative load cases. Based on the resulting topology, a parametric model is constructed and optimized to reduce structural mass subject to strength and manufacturability constraints. The optimized member dimensions are subsequently used to reconstruct an engineering-manufacturable pylon configuration, whose structural performance is evaluated through finite element analysis. The results demonstrate that the multi-load topology optimization produces a stable primary load-bearing framework, while the subsequent size optimization reduces the structural mass from 238 kg to 156 kg, a reduction of 82 kg. The proposed framework provides a practical route for the lightweight design of aircraft engine pylons and can serve as a reference for other complex aerospace load-bearing structures.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090832

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Effect of Triggering Turbulence on Large-Eddy Simulation of Iced-Wing Aerodynamics

  David A. Craig Penner, Victor C. B. Sousa, Jeffrey A. Housman, Kiran Ravikumar, Gerrit-Daniel Stich, Jared C. Duensing

  Analyzing iced-wing aerodynamics is important for aircraft safety. However, simulating iced configurations accurately and efficiently is challenging due to the complex geometries and flow topologies involved. To investigate these challenges, wall-modeled large-eddy simulation of a swept wing with leading-edge ice is performed using an unstructured Voronoi mesh paradigm and compared to experimental results. The study focuses on a swept wing featuring high-fidelity and smooth ice shapes at a Mach number of 0.18 and a Reynolds number per mean aerodynamic chord of [Formula: see text]. For the high-fidelity ice shape, good agreement with the experiment is obtained using a moderate level of mesh resolution. For the smooth ice shape, a much finer mesh is required to obtain similar accuracy. However, comparable accuracy is achieved at similar mesh resolutions for the high-fidelity ice and smooth ice when roughness is added to generate resolved turbulence near the leading edge. For the smooth ice, using an equivalent sand-grain roughness estimate to mimic experimental grit roughness gives a factor of approximately 30 reduction in computational cost for similar accuracy compared to simulating the smooth ice without roughness. Finally, the predicted aerodynamic degradation due to icing is quantified using simulations of the tripped wing without ice.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038931

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Heterogeneous Feature Encoding and Multi-Scale Temporal Fusion for Air Target Intent Recognition

  Qilin Song, Xinliang Wu, Hao Lang, Liangfeng Chen, Jinyu Ma, Han Li

  Air target intent recognition plays an important role in situation awareness and decision support in complex air-combat environments. However, existing methods often process motion and semantic information in the same manner, making it difficult to fully exploit their different characteristics. They also have difficulty modeling how target intent changes over different time periods. To address these limitations, this paper develops a deep learning framework that learns motion and semantic information separately and combines historical observations from multiple time ranges. A one-dimensional convolutional network extracts local movement patterns from continuous motion variables, while an embedding layer represents discrete semantic variables as dense feature vectors. These representations are synchronized in time and jointly analyzed by a Transformer. The model selectively uses recent, intermediate, distant, and overall historical information to capture instantaneous maneuvers, changes in behavioral stages, and long-term tactical trends. Experiments on an AFSIM-generated dataset show that the proposed method achieves higher recognition accuracy and better robustness than representative baseline models. Further analysis confirms that both the separate processing of motion and semantic information and the use of multiple historical time ranges contribute to the performance improvements.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090823

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Mesh Adaptation Simulations for High-Lift Configuration Aircraft

  Cristhian Aliaga, Krishna Zore, Jeyatharsan Selvanayagam, Laith Zori, Boris Makarov

  This paper presents ANSYS Fluent results on different configurations of the NASA Common Research Model from the 5th AIAA High-Lift Prediction Workshop. The main objective of the workshop is to assess the numerical prediction capabilities of current-generation computational fluid dynamics technology for swept and medium-to-high-aspect-ratio wings under landing/takeoff (high-lift) configurations. This paper presents fixed-grid and adapted-mesh Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations using Ansys Fluent on the first two cases requested by the workshop. Results have been obtained using the grids provided by the workshop. In the case of mesh adaptation, the coarsest workshop meshes were used as baseline meshes to initiate the adaptation cycles. Mesh refinement was done isotropically using the Polyhedral Unstructured Mesh Adaptation model of Fluent in conjunction with the combined Hessian indicator. The general-purpose Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model has been investigated to assess the accuracy of RANS calculations. This study revealed that mesh adaptation improved the prediction of fixed-grid RANS SA simulations by capturing, with great detail, the slat-bracket rolling vortices and the slat wake as they travel over the suction side of the main wing, thus preventing an early separation of the flow over the suction side of the wing.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038661

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Structured-Corridor Safety-State Avoidance for Unmanned Ground Support Equipment at Aircraft Stands

  Ke Tang, Liang Zeng, Hongbin Liu, Mengyuan Lu, Di Zhu, Zhiqiang Zhang, Xinping Zhu

  Aircraft stands impose asymmetric spatial and procedural constraints that cannot be represented by geometric free space alone. This study proposes a Structured Operation Corridor for unmanned ground support equipment (SOC-UGSE), which converts existing stand markings, aircraft-side boundaries, and operating rules into machine-interpretable corridor constraints and corridor-specific actions. The framework distinguishes a detour-permitted Longitudinal Transfer Corridor (LTC-UGSE) from a no-detour Lateral Service-Approach Corridor (LSAC-UGSE), and maps object class, motion state, distance, corridor occupancy, and available clearance to Normal, Warning, or Stop responses. Standard vision, ranging, LiDAR, and temporal-processing modules are used only to instantiate these decision variables. On a controlled 1:10-scale platform, the implemented perception chain achieved an overall corridor-perception success of 83.9%, while frame-level agreement with rule-derived reference states reached 90.95%. Across 63 independent interaction sequences, sequence-level success was 95.2%, with no complete missed-stop event or prohibited boundary crossing. In a separate balanced comparison of 150 sequences, SOC-UGSE achieved the highest overall scenario-response compliance of 94.7%, outperforming distance-only stopping and corridor-free obstacle avoidance by reducing unnecessary stops and prohibited actions, respectively. These results support the structured-corridor rule-execution concept under controlled scaled-platform conditions, rather than full-scale operational safety or deployment readiness.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090820

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Enhancing SAR Aircraft Detection with CCS-Net: A Lightweight and Efficient Framework for Manned–Unmanned Teaming Reconnaissance

  Lei Bao, Dongfang Li, Chaolong Li, Xianzhong Gao

  In contemporary manned–unmanned teaming (MUM-T) systems, the accurate detection of aircraft in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is crucial for battlefield surveillance and target identification. However, challenges such as background clutter, significant scale variations, and limitations in existing feature extraction methods hinder detection accuracy. To address these issues, this study proposes CCS-Net, a lightweight Cooperative Context-aware Sensing Network designed specifically for SAR aircraft detection. CCS-Net enhances image contrast through Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) preprocessing and employs a novel C2F_LK module combined with a Multi-scale Context Aggregation (MSCA) module to improve multi-scale feature representation with minimal parameters. An FPN-PAN structure adaptively fuses these features, while the Spatial Coordinate Attention Head (SCA-Head) integrates spatial and coordinate attention mechanisms to emphasize key aircraft regions. Optimized with label smoothing, our model achieves a 96.6% mAP@0.5 and 93.5% precision on the SAR-Aircraft-1.0 dataset with only 0.97M parameters. It generalizes well on the SADD aircraft dataset and cross-domain HRSID and SSDD ship benchmarks, outperforming state-of-the-art methods in both accuracy and lightweight design.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090819

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Toolchain for Requirements-Based Electric Aircraft Performance Optimization

  Luca Hein, Purav Panchal, Denis Surmann, Stephan Myschik

  This research paper presents a methodology for optimizing the performance of an electrically powered general aviation aircraft through nonlinear dynamic flight simulations. In comparison to conventionally powered airborne systems, the electric aircraft domain offers a substantially expanded set of design variables and architectural options, resulting in a high-dimensional configuration space. The proposed optimization framework systematically evaluates flight performance over a broad range of configurations and parameter variations to identify the most suitable combination while considering optimization goals such as the maximization of mission range. The process incorporates an integrated requirements management and traceability toolchain to ensure that all considered configuration variants remain compliant with relevant airworthiness and certification standards. Multiple certification-relevant requirements are validated through dedicated test and analysis activities embedded within the workflow. The study demonstrates the practical application of the proposed optimization and requirements-validation toolchain using an electric motor glider as a representative testbed vehicle.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038986

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Multidisciplinary Optimization of a Turbofan Engine Integrated with Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Under Mass and Volume Constraints for Civil Low-Carbon Aircraft

  Zhenyu Shen, Zhixing Ji

  Mass and volume penalties associated with fuel cell integration have hindered the manufacturing and integration of hybrid power systems into civil aircraft. To address this issue, a novel scheme, a turbofan engine integrated with solid oxide fuel cells, is proposed in this paper, which has the advantage of high thermal efficiency and propulsion efficiency, where the electricity produced by the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is used to drive the ducted fan. Then, a multidimensional model that accounts for mass, volume, and thermodynamic performance is established. The equivalence ratio and split ratio have a significantly stronger influence on the volume and mass ratios than the current density. These two parameters directly determine the power ratio between the fuel cell and the gas turbine. An increase in the power ratio leads to a simultaneous rise in both the volume and mass ratios; however, the overall efficiency cannot be continuously improved, with its maximum value being approximately 63% without mass and volume constraints. During the multi-objective optimization process, the weight and volume of the hybrid engine have a linear relationship with the overall efficiency when the efficiency is lower than 50%. However, both mass and volume exhibit exponential increasing trends as the overall efficiency is over 50%. This is caused by the nonlinear change in the fuel cell reaction area; as polarization loss decreases, the thermal efficiency of the hybrid system improves. The maximum overall efficiency is taken as the optimization objective, with the constraints that the mass fraction of the fuel cell does not exceed 0.4 of the total engine mass and that the volume fraction of the fuel cell stack is less than 0.2 of the gas turbine engine volume. Compared with the CFM56 3C1, the thermal efficiency for the novel hybrid engine is increased by 21%, and its propulsion efficiency is increased by 42%.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090814

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Deep Generative and Probabilistic Surrogate Modeling for Uncertainty-Based Airfoil Design Optimization

  Zin Win Thu, Aye Aye Maw, Jae-Woo Lee

  Uncertainty-based aerodynamic shape optimization is challenged by the curse of dimensionality and high computational costs. To address this, we propose a deep generative and probabilistic surrogate modeling for optimizing subsonic airfoils under uncertainty. A variational autoencoder learns a compact latent representation of airfoil geometries for dimensionality reduction and design generation, while a mixture density network predicts aerodynamic uncertainties under varying flight conditions. The proposed framework achieves a mean drag prediction [Formula: see text] of 0.999 and a standard deviation prediction [Formula: see text] of 0.970. Optimization results show that deterministic, robust, and reliability-based designs closely match those obtained from Monte Carlo simulations with 5000 samples, while our method requires only 200 samples per design, trained over the global design space. This shows the potential to mitigate dimensionality and reduce computational costs in uncertainty-based design optimization.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038761

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Physics of the Proprotor–Wing Interactional Aerodynamics Across the Tiltrotor Conversion Maneuver

  Pranav Sridhar, Marilyn J. Smith

  The conversion maneuver is one of the most complex and hazardous aspects of tiltrotor operations. The complex interactions increase pilot workload and vibratory wing loads, making it imperative to further understand and accurately predict this dynamic operation. An extensively correlated high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model elucidates the physics within these two-way coupled aerodynamic interactions for a generic model-scale tractor proprotor–wing configuration. Quasi-static evaluations are conducted for proprotor tilt angles in fifteen degree increments to capture the conversion from low-speed edgewise flight to cruise. To assess and quantify the coupled proprotor–wing interactions, additional assessments of an isolated wing at two relevant wing angles of attack and an isolated proprotor operating at all tilt angles were conducted. Wing thickness and loading were mildly correlated with the proprotor loads due to the large proprotor–wing separation relative to the proprotor radius. The proprotor-to-wing effects were assessed using a power spectral density of the wing surface pressure within the proprotor wake. This novel approach elucidates the dominant frequency responses on the wing surface due to interactions with the proprotor wake and directly relates these responses to observable flow features across the conversion maneuver. Overall, this work furthers the current understanding of the proprotor–wing interactions across the conversion maneuver to inform the design and operation of tiltrotor aircraft.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038965

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Zero-Sum Game-Based Reinforcement Learning Tracking Control with Predefined-Time Prescribed Performance for Highly Flexible Aircraft

  Hanwen Zhang, Chi Peng, Yuxin Zhang, Jianjun Ma, Meiping Wu

  This paper develops a zero-sum game-based reinforcement learning tracking controller with predefined-time prescribed performance (ZG-RL-PP) for highly flexible aircraft. The disturbed tracking-error dynamics are first transformed into a min–max optimal control problem, where the control input and the disturbance are treated as two players with opposite objectives. To guarantee the prescribed transient and steady-state tracking performance, logarithmic barrier Lyapunov functions are incorporated into the value function and the Hamilton–Jacobi–Isaacs equation. For higher-relative-degree tracking-error channels, recursive auxiliary constraint variables are introduced to preserve the prescribed bounds on the original errors and enable constraint enforcement through the derivative channels in which the control inputs appear. A critic neural network is employed to approximate the value function online, and a predefined-time fractional-power learning law is adopted for critic weight updating. It is shown that the critic weight-estimation error is practically predefined-time convergent and that all closed-loop signals are uniformly ultimately bounded. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of ZG-RL-PP in terms of tracking accuracy, disturbance attenuation, prescribed-performance satisfaction, and predefined-time learning.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090811

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Boarding and Deboarding Strategies in a Narrow-Body Aircraft: A Comparative Simulation Study

  Heba Kurdi, Abeer Almakhdhub, Aisha Alsuhaibani, Fatimah Alatyan, Norah Alshaya, Shahad Alfawzan

  Deboarding sits on the aircraft turnaround critical path, yet it is usually treated as boarding run in reverse, with schedules validated for boarding assumed to keep their merit when the flow direction changes. This study compares five conventional schedules in both directions under one cabin geometry, in a three-dimensional Airbus A320 economy-cabin simulation at three passenger loads with ten replications per scenario. The ordering is reversed, as the mirror intuition suggests: Back-to-Front is fastest to board at full load and slowest to deboard. Two results are less expected. First, schedule choice loses most of its leverage when the process reverses: the full-load spread is 26 s against 121 s on the boarding side, and a decisive boarding advantage collapses into a statistical tie in the deboarding direction. Second, what survives is not duration but its distribution. At full load, mean seat-to-door time is 40% longer under Back-to-Front than under Front-to-Back, and the last-served passenger waits 11.9 min against 9.0, differences that persist in proportion when compliance is only partial. Deboarding schedule choice is therefore a service-quality instrument rather than a turnaround-duration one, and schedules must be evaluated in the direction the cabin process actually runs.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090808

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Mapping UAV risk perceptions among aviation professionals using ICAO’s risk matrix

  Kübra Nur Kırhan, Mustafa Aslan, Sevdiye Kemik Polat

  The rapid proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has introduced new opportunities as well as significant safety challenges for civil aviation stakeholders. While UAVs provide notable operational advantages in logistics, surveillance and emergency response, their integration into shared airspace raises critical safety, regulatory and human-factors concerns. This study examines the risk perceptions of two key aviation stakeholder groups – pilots and air traffic controllers (ATCs) – using the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Safety Management Manual (SMM) risk matrix as a comparative framework. Thirty aviation professionals (15 pilots and 15 ATCs) evaluated eight major UAV-related risk scenarios across likelihood and severity dimensions, including technical failures, operator inexperience, mid-air collisions and privacy violations. The results reveal substantial perceptual asymmetries between the groups: pilots emphasised catastrophic consequences and direct flight safety, whereas ATCs prioritised systemic disruptions and likelihood-based assessments. Both groups, however, identified ‘inexperienced UAV operators’ as the most critical and unacceptable risk factor. The findings suggest that UAV safety cannot be managed solely through technological improvements, but also requires human-centred considerations in risk communication and coordination, and cross-disciplinary risk communication. Moreover, the results highlight the need to expand ICAO’s risk assessment framework to incorporate ethical and socio-technical considerations, including privacy and data protection. By aligning diverse professional risk perceptions, this study contributes to improving safety risk communication and interpretation within SMS practices for UAV integration within civil aviation systems.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10222

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Revisiting Spanwise Loading Theory for Tailless and Flying-Wing Aircraft

  J. Gordon Leishman

  Flying-wing and tailless UAVs can integrate the lifting surface, structure, payload volume, propulsion, and control surfaces into a compact airframe with fewer nonlifting components. Their design places special demands on the spanwise loading because the wing must also provide trim, structural efficiency, and control without a conventional empennage. A unified closed-form framework was developed that relates the prescribed spanwise circulation distribution to the induced velocity, local and integrated induced drag, wing-root bending moment, span-resizing trade, and geometric twist required to realize the loading. Closed-form twist relations were derived for both constant-chord and linearly tapered wings. For fixed lift and span, elliptical loading remains the minimum-induced-drag solution. The Prandtl-type loading has higher integrated induced drag but produces outboard upwash and local negative induced drag, allowing differential outer-wing lift to contribute to proverse yaw. The same inboard lift redistribution reduces root bending moment, allowing span or aspect ratio to be increased at the same idealized root bending moment.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c039163

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Prediction of Glaze Ice Horns from Aerodynamic Degradation Through Logistic Regression

  Carlos Neves, Ilaria Savoldi, Pietro M. Congedo, Enora Denimal Goy, Francesco Caccia, Alberto Guardone

  In-flight, real-time ice detection enhances the pilot’s airframe icing awareness during aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle operations in adverse weather. The objective of this work is to develop logistic regression–based binary and multiclass classifiers for ice class predictions to determine the onset of glaze ice horns on an airfoil using the degradation of aerodynamic performance during icing at mid- and low-Reynolds-number conditions. Multiclass classifiers divided the glaze ice horns class into incipient and developed. Cross-validation results yielded validation accuracies of 97% and 71% for ice horns onset detection accuracy. The high validation accuracy indicates that the instantaneous ice class can be inferred from the instantaneous aerodynamic performance. The glaze ice horns onset accuracy of the models was improved by 9% by overfitting the streamlined rime to glaze ice horns transition and by using the aerodynamic performance time evolution as input. It was observed that a larger training batch reduced the glaze ice horns onset accuracy when using overfitting strategies. The trained models were used in virtual test cases showing that the improved multiclass classifier can anticipate the glaze ice horns onset by sensing a variance increment of the glaze ice horns probability.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038899

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Effects of Acceleration and Deceleration on Unsteady Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Airfoil

  Rei Yamashita

  Effects of acceleration and deceleration on aerodynamic characteristics at levels typical for commercial aircraft have not yet been investigated. This study examines these effects by solving the two-dimensional Euler equations on moving Cartesian meshes that follow a flying body. Computational accuracy is validated by comparing computed standoff distances of a bow shock wave ahead of a decelerating sphere with results from previous experiments and simulations. Subsequently, unsteady flow simulations are performed around a NACA 0012 airfoil with a chord length of 20 m under standard atmospheric conditions at an altitude of 10 km. A flight Mach number varies between 0.5 and 1.2, with acceleration and deceleration rates of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. The results reveal distinct flow behaviors among cruising, accelerated, and decelerated flight. In accelerated flight, the aerodynamic coefficients exhibit trends similar to those in cruising flight. Conversely, in decelerated flight, they differ significantly in transonic flow regimes due to the persistence of the rear shock wave, followed by its sudden upstream movement. This leads to a hysteresis phenomenon between accelerated and decelerated flight. This hysteresis is amplified with increasing acceleration and deceleration rates and is largely independent of the angle of attack.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038300

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Aviation access and green flows: The impact of aviation networks on firms’ green technology transfer

  Shanming Jia, Weiyi Tang, Pengzhen Liu, Le Liu

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103035

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Fleet scheduling for electric towing of aircraft with nonlinear charging profile and on-demand charging strategy

  Xuejing Hou, Lun Zhang, Shuiwang Chen, Lingxiao Wu

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103034

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Exploring market segments for sustainable aviation fuel: Evidence from passenger willingness to pay and environmental values

  Ming-Tsung Lee, Ming-Chi Lee, Shou-Lin Yang

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103033

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed2 citations

  Data-driven runway and taxiway exits prediction of landing aircraft: A case study at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

  Alex Porcayo, Yutian Pang, Maria Thomas, John-Paul Clarke

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103063

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Modelling regime-switching aviation demand under recurrent global disruptions: A joint Passenger–Cargo resilience and forecasting study of Heathrow Airport

  Ghanshyam Ghatole, K. Hemachandran, Raul Rodriguez, Manjeet Rege

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103055

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Where safety behavior matters: Severity-Contingent effectiveness of safety management in airport ground handling operations

  Ho-Jung Yoo, Pyoungsoo Lee

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103061

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Sustaining aviation: A decision-tree framework for recycling aircraft cabin interiors

  Shahrokh Nikou, Sicco Santema

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103038

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Design and control of a bending deformation actuator for hypersonic variant aircraft using shape memory alloy springs

  Tonghui FAN, Jieliang ZHAO, Xiangbing WU, Tie FU, Wenzhong WANG, Shaoze YAN, Yuling ZHANG, Yanfei LIU, et al.

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2025.103835

• Aviation safety & accidentsChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Efficient prediction model of airfoil icing based on fully connected neural network

  Zhaoke XU, Hao DAI, Haijun ZHANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104481

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Emission characteristics of IVOCs and organic particulate matter from 100% SAF-powered aviation piston engine under LTO cycle

  Yukun FAN, Jianyu SONG, Jie FANG, Jun HU, Tiehua ZHANG, Minghua WANG, Yang ZHANG, Wentao SHI, et al.

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104299

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Design and validation of a segmented rigid-skin reconstructive morphing forebody for cross-regime supersonic aircraft

  Zihao ZHANG, Rong XU, Lihua PIAO, Tifu LIU, Chen WANG, Jinbao CHEN

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104490

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Real-time sequencing problem for aircraft recovery on carriers: A safe deep reinforcement learning approach

  Changjiu LI, Yong ZHANG, Wei HAN, Fang GUO, Xinwei WANG, Xichao SU

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2025.103911

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Semantic model-based systems engineering approach for aircraft conceptual design

  Zhiyang CUI, Mingqiang LUO, Jinzhi LU, Junjie ZENG, Xing ZHANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104494

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Development and application of multi-dimensional evaluation framework for hybrid-electric aircraft

  Le KANG, Shixuan LIN, Qianxi RAN, Shengze BAO, Junkui MAO, Yu ZHANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104118

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Energy and power transition in green aviation: Current status and prospects of synergistic development of alternative fuels and propulsion technologies

  Chengjie LI, Bin YU, Chan HA, Yongbin JI, Yuxuan WAN, Xinyang JIANG, Xiaoran LUO, Zhichao CHEN, et al.

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104322

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Stage-Structured Inference of Runway Incursion Risk Through Safety-Constraint Degradation: An Integrated STPA-DBN Framework for Airport Surface Operations

  Weijun Pan, Yujiang Feng, Yanqiang Jiang, Rundong Wang

  Existing runway incursion risk approaches can estimate risk under specified conditions but have limited ability to represent how runway protection constraints weaken across operational stages. This study develops an integrated System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA)–Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) framework to examine how safety-constraint degradation propagates across predefined operational stages toward runway incursion risk. A Dynamic Causal Translation Logic (DCTL) provides principle-guided organization of STPA-derived artifacts into a traceable single-slice Bayesian Network (BN), which is subsequently extended across semantic stages through selected inter-slice transitions and sequential evidence updating. The model was parameterized using 66 manually coded runway incursion-related reports from the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). Intra-slice conditional probability tables (CPTs) were estimated and calibrated from these reports, while transition CPTs used expert-informed first-order Markov assumptions. The 2023 runway incursion event at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) was used as a single case-informed demonstration of staged inference and does not constitute independent or cross-case validation. Posterior updating indicated weakened unobserved monitoring and verification constraints, higher unsafe control action likelihood, and sustained tendencies toward runway occupancy conflict and Category B severity. Scenario-based analysis showed that alternative safety-constraint states produced distinct local changes in downstream hazard and Category B posterior probabilities under their respective stage-specific conditioning settings. The framework supports tracing safety-constraint degradation and stage-specific runway safety management.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090799

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Low-Resource Adaptation and Structural Reconstruction for Satellite Component Segmentation

  Rui Hong, Chaoqiang Zhai, Lingdang Chen, Haoyu Hu, Han Pan, Qian Wang

  Accurate satellite component segmentation plays a fundamental role in numerous on-orbit perception tasks, including spacecraft pose estimation, autonomous robotic servicing, and space situational awareness. However, existing segmentation methods still face three major challenges: the scarcity of fine-grained annotations, the difficulty of preserving structural continuity under large pose variations, and the severe structural imbalance caused by extremely small and slender components such as antennas. To address these issues, this paper proposes LRSRNet, a low-resource spatial reconstruction network for satellite component segmentation. First, a LoRA-adapted DINOv3 foundation model is employed to efficiently transfer large-scale visual priors to the satellite domain, enabling robust structural representation under limited supervision. To exploit the complementary information encoded at different semantic levels, multi-level transformer features are uniformly aggregated for structural representation learning. Subsequently, a Converse2D-based spatial reconstruction decoder progressively restores the spatial continuity of satellite components, facilitating the recovery of fine structural details lost during hierarchical feature encoding. Furthermore, a structure-aware optimization strategy is introduced by jointly considering the geometric characteristics and category imbalance of satellite components during training, thereby improving the learning of geometrically fragile structures without sacrificing overall segmentation performance. Experimental results on a public satellite component segmentation benchmark demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. LRSRNet achieves an mIoU of 77.10% on foreground categories and 82.45% over all categories. Ablation studies and visualization results further validate the contributions of the proposed representation adaptation, spatial reconstruction, and structure-aware optimization strategies.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090793

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  A Rapid Method for Calculating the Damage Probability of Aircraft Subjected to Multiple-Munition Impacts Considering Conditional Dependencies

  Yuxiang Feng, Yuan Li, Tao Suo

  Aircraft vulnerability assessment is essential for survivability analysis. In multi-munition impact scenarios, successive fragment impacts may cause cumulative damage and evolving target vulnerability, while conventional conditional independence assumptions can introduce errors in damage probability estimation. Although shot-line-based Monte Carlo simulations can provide highly accurate statistical estimates, their high computational cost limits their application in time-critical scenarios. To address this issue, this study proposes an improved simplified method for multi-munition damage probability evaluation considering conditional dependencies. A shot-line-based Monte Carlo method is established as a reference approach to analyze errors introduced by conventional simplified methods. Based on this analysis, a correction formulation is developed within the framework of component average damage probability method to account for vulnerability evolution while maintaining computational efficiency. Numerical results from multi-munition scenarios show that the proposed method achieves a median relative error of 0.2%, with all relative errors within ±10% compared with Monte Carlo results. Meanwhile, online evaluation of 100 test cases is completed within less than 0.1 s, compared with approximately 12 h required by the Monte Carlo method. The proposed method provides a fast and accurate approach for damage probability assessment under multi-munition impact conditions.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13090787

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Dynamic Assessment and Control of Insect-Inspired, Perching Micro Aerial Vehicles

  Lina van Brügge, Sophie F. Armanini

  This work presents an approach for modeling medium-size flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles carrying heavy payloads, using a cosimulation of ADAMS and MATLAB ® /Simulink, which the authors validated using flight-test data. The drone used for their investigations is the Nimble+ produced by Flapper Drones. It carries a gripper, which can be used for perching in order to save battery consumption during longer missions, or to carry objects. The additional component increases the overall weight by approximately 50% and leads to instability in the control. To examine how the gripper influences the system dynamics, the system is simulated in its clean, gripperless configuration as well as with the gripper attached, and the system dynamics are extracted using linear least-squares fitting. These results are then used to tune an existing baseline Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller and to develop a Modified Linear Extended State Observer as a new model-based control approach.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038872

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Pressure Fluctuations in Compressible Elliptical Cavity Flow

  Yi-Xuan Huang, Kung-Ming Chung, Kao-Chun Su

  This experimental study determines the mean and fluctuating surface pressure distribution for a compressible elliptical cavity flow, for which the length-to-depth ratio ranges from 2.10 to 21.50 for freestream Mach numbers of 0.64, 0.70, and 0.83. The results for the mean surface pressure distribution show that the boundaries between open-, transition-, and closed-type cavities resemble those for a cylindrical or a rectangular cavity. There are significant fluctuations in the surface pressure near the trailing edge. The results for power spectral density show multiple Rossiter modes for an open-type cavity, for which the amplitude depends on the cavity geometry and the freestream Mach number. An open-type elliptical cavity generates Rossiter modes with a greater amplitude (1–3 dB) than does an open-type cylindrical cavity. An increase in the freestream Mach number results in a decrease in the fluctuating pressure coefficient. Correlation analysis shows that there is a coupling with the Rossiter modes for a deeper open-type cavity ([Formula: see text]) at a freestream Mach number of 0.83.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c039008

• Aviation safety & accidentsJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Reynolds-Number-Dependent Microcavity Optimization for Drag Reduction on Airfoil

  Wafae Lahmili, Kenza Bouchaala, Ashraf A. Omar, Mohammed Aldheeb, Yassine El Qamch

  This study investigates the effectiveness of surface microcavities as a passive flow-control technique for reducing drag on a NACA 0012 airfoil over a range of Reynolds numbers and angles of attack. Two-dimensional RANS and URANS simulations were performed using the SU2 solver and validated against benchmark data for the smooth airfoil. A preliminary analysis at Reynolds numbers of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] evaluated the sensitivity of cavity performance to flow conditions. A Taguchi design-of-experiments approach was then used to optimize cavity diameter, depth, and chordwise location at Reynolds numbers of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Under specific optimized conditions, the two-dimensional simulations predict drag reductions of up to 39% and lift-to-drag ratio improvements exceeding 290%. However, the aerodynamic benefits were highly dependent on Reynolds number and angle of attack, with some configurations causing drag penalties at off-design conditions. Flowfield analysis showed that cavity-induced vortical structures can either suppress or intensify near-wall turbulence. This study provides the first systematic, multiparameter optimization of microcavities on an airfoil, addressing a gap in passive flow-control literature.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c039028

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Grid Refinement of Fifth High-Lift Prediction Workshop Cases Using Wall-Modeled Large-Eddy Simulation

  Li Wang, Christopher Rumsey, W. Kyle Anderson, Eric J. Nielsen, Prahladh S. Iyer, Andrew Wick, Aaron Walden

  This paper presents solution assessments and grid-convergence studies for the test cases outlined in the Fifth High-Lift Prediction Workshop (HLPW-5), focusing on the high-lift Common Research Models (CRM-HL). The study utilizes a wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES) methodology developed in the unstructured-grid, node-centered flow solver FUN3D. The second-order-accurate simulations conducted in this study employ a finite-volume spatial discretization and an implicit temporal scheme. Large-scale turbulent features are resolved away from the wall, with small-scale effects captured by the Vreman subgrid-scale model. An equilibrium wall function uses the first grid point off the wall, which serves as the critical interface between the wall model and the large-eddy simulation region, thus requiring careful placement in grid design. Grid-convergence studies are systematically conducted using a global uniform refinement approach, with mesh sizes ranging from several hundred million to 20 billion grid points at the finest resolution level for full high-lift landing configurations. WMLES solutions are assessed for HLPW-5 cases, including a clean wing–body configuration and geometry-buildup configurations corresponding to the ONERA 5.1% CRM-HL model. Moreover, simulation results and grid sensitivity are presented for the NASA 5.2% CRM-HL configuration at both moderate and flight-scale Reynolds numbers. Overall, the WMLES results are satisfactory and agree well with the available experimental data, especially on sufficiently fine grids.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038998

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Machine-Learning-Based Real-Time Trajectory Prediction of Store Release from Cavity

  Arpan Das, Errol Hale, Michael Candon, Pier Marzocca

  The release of stores from internal carriage configurations in modern aircraft requires precise modeling due to the highly unsteady flow dynamics involved. Traditional methods for predicting store trajectories are often computationally intensive, making real-time predictions challenging. In this study, we develop a data-driven reduced-order model (ROM) capable of accurately predicting the real-time trajectory of a store released from an internal cavity. Using data generated from two-dimensional inviscid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, we employ dynamic-time-warping-based clustering to group similar cases and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) for mode reduction. A support-vector-machine-based regression model is then used to predict the POD components for new cases. The proposed ROM successfully predicts the [Formula: see text]-position, [Formula: see text]-position, and orientation of the store with moderate to satisfactory accuracy when compared to CFD simulations. However, limitations in predicting higher-order POD modes, particularly for the [Formula: see text]-position, indicate areas for future improvement. Despite these challenges, the proposed ROM shows significant promise for efficiently predicting store trajectories, making it a viable solution for real-time analysis in defense and aerospace applications.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038854

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Fault Mechanism and Control Method of Flow Fluctuation in Fuel Metering Unit

  Wenqiang Li, Xin Li, Zhifeng Ye

  Fluctuation in metering fuel flow caused by instability of the pressure difference control component (PDCC) of the fuel metering unit severely threatens the speed stability of aeroengines, yet the underlying mechanism remains unclear, and effective prevention or handling methods are lacking. Based on nonlinear dynamic bifurcation theory, a new paradigm for improving PDCC stability is proposed to address these problems. The high-confidence dimensionless nonlinear model of PDCC is established, and the analytical framework of its bifurcation characteristics is designed. The third-order normal form of PDCC at the critical spool mass of the pressure difference valve is derived from the center manifold theorem and normal form theory, thereby revealing the instability mechanism of PDCC, which is validated by numerical simulation. Furthermore, the influence of a single parameter of the pressurized locking valve (PLV) on the bifurcation characteristics, along with the stability region under the coupling of two parameters, is analyzed. On this basis, the low-frequency constant-amplitude oscillation (32.8 Hz) of PDCC at an unstable operating condition is eliminated by optimizing the parameters of PLV, which proves the effectiveness of the method. The findings demonstrate that the metering flow fluctuation malfunction originates from a supercritical Hopf bifurcation, induced by improperly designed parameters, which triggers self-excited oscillation in PDCC. Analyzing the bifurcation characteristics of PDCC is essential for developing effective strategies to prevent the occurrence of supercritical Hopf bifurcation, thereby enhancing system stability.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038835

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Engine Position Effects on Contrail Evolution for a Realistic Aircraft Configuration

  Rémy Annunziata, Nicolas Bonne, François Garnier

  This study investigates the influence of representative engine positions on contrail evolution during the vortex and dissipation regimes, using three-dimensional simulations of a realistic aircraft geometry. Large-eddy simulations are employed, coupled with an Eulerian microphysical bulk model, and initialized using fields obtained from prior Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations. This approach enables a consistent transition from near-field jet–vortex interactions to far-field wake dynamics. Three engine placements are examined under two atmospheric stratification and two relative humidity conditions. The results reveal that engine position influences the onset and evolution of vortex instabilities, alters the descent of the vortex pair, and leads to slight changes in the distribution of particles within the wake. Despite these aerodynamic differences, the microphysical properties of the contrails tend to converge over time for the parameters and configurations covered in this study. From a broader perspective, engine placement strongly influences initial contrail formation and early vortex-regime dynamics. At later stages, these differences largely disappear, as vortex dynamics and atmospheric conditions dominate over the initial dilution changes induced by engine position.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038870

• Aerospace engineeringJournal of Aircraft2026Scopus-indexed

  Design and Characterization of Shape-Morphing Airfoil for Active Flow Control System

  Javier Donati, Ariel S. Pacheco, Julio Marañón Di Leo, Juan S. Delnero

  The development of active flow control (AFC) devices for low Reynolds number flows has gained significant interest due to advancements in technological applications such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), micro aerial vehicles (MAVs), and wind turbines. Under low Reynolds flow conditions, conventional wing designs experience performance losses, which has led to the development of several AFC strategies to counteract this effect, with shape-morphing systems gaining increasing relevance over the past decade. The concept is to dynamically modify the airfoil shape at specific frequencies to induce flowfield changes that enhance aerodynamic efficiency. However, limited information is available regarding the design and implementation criteria for this type of AFC system as well as the frequency-dependent characterization of the resulting deformations and their aerodynamic consequences. Therefore, this work addresses these aspects through the development of different airfoil models with distinct structural features, their evaluation under both static and dynamic conditions, and the analysis of the overall effectiveness of the AFC system for flow control. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the developed system, revealing the expected aerodynamic phenomena as a function of actuation frequency, flow velocity, and deformation amplitude, while linking them to the structural response of the system.

  Full abstractdoi:10.2514/1.c038845

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Wheels-Up Landing and Its Relevance to Novel Aircraft

  Jessica Wallace, Damian Quinn, Declan Nolan, Jillian Gaskell, Evan Lawson

  The National Transport Safety Board found that Wheels-Up Landing was the second highest defining event for aircraft accidents from 2008 to 2022. The increasing push for sustainable propulsion and accompanying novel airframe architectures present new integration and safety challenges for aircraft design and development, among which is the structural integrity and crashworthiness of the aircraft under such extreme events. This paper examines the regulations and design requirements governing aircraft emergency Wheels-Up Landing scenarios, emphasising their implications for aircraft safety and structural integrity. It consolidates standards from aviation authorities, such as the FAA and EASA, which identify and define key requirements relating to occupant safety and fire prevention and protection during such events. The paper then considers the Wheels-Up Landing scenario and its design requirements within the context of future novel aircraft employing sustainable propulsion systems, from higher bypass turbofan to electric- and hydrogen-based technologies. The unique characteristics and challenges of these emerging propulsion technologies are described, highlighting how alternative structural configurations, weight distributions and powerplant architectures may influence the aircraft response under a Wheels-Up Landing event. Finally, an exploration of predictive modelling strategies and methods currently used in Wheels-Up Landing analysis was conducted. While reviewing the breadth of accurate, high-fidelity modelling methods targeting fuselage impact, it also highlighted the gap in both considering the increasingly relevant and frequent powerplant impact scenarios, and the provision of lightweight modelling approaches necessary to rapidly and adequately address the emergency Wheels-Up Landing response early in the aircraft design process.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13080732

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Friction-Induced Vibration Analysis of an Aircraft Electric Braking System Considering the Transmission Mechanism

  Xiaohang Hu, Ming Zhang, Bo Lei, Yapan Zhao, Xiangxi Li

  Friction-induced unstable vibration caused by nonlinear stator–rotor friction and electromechanical coupling is a critical dynamic stability issue in aircraft electric braking systems, potentially degrading braking performance and operational safety. In this study, a novel nonlinear dynamic model of an aircraft electric braking system is developed by considering nonlinear stator–rotor friction, the nonlinear meshing force of the gear pair, and the nonlinear axial contact stiffness of the ball screw pair. The effects of braking conditions, negative friction–velocity slope, and transmission mechanism parameters on the stability and global nonlinear dynamic behavior of the system are systematically investigated. The results indicate that the negative friction–velocity slope has a critical influence on system stability. Reducing its magnitude simplifies the steady-state response and improves system stability, while the corresponding instability boundary depends on the braking conditions and system parameters. In addition, increasing the screw lead reduces the vibration intensity and simplifies the vibration modes of the system. The time-varying meshing stiffness and backlash of the transmission mechanism significantly affect the impact response and vibration intensity of the transmission mechanism, but have little influence on the vibration response of the disc brake. These findings provide theoretical guidance for vibration suppression, stability-oriented design, and parameter optimization of aircraft electric braking systems.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13080733

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  A Review of the Current Status of Active Cooling Technology of Liquid Metal for Hypersonic Aircraft

  Haowei Li, Zhongwei Deng, Xuran Hou, Guangze Song

  Under high-Mach-number flight conditions, the combustion chambers of hypersonic vehicles encounter extreme thermal environments marked by unilateral heating, high-heat-flux density, and supercritical pressure. Traditional hydrocarbon fuel cooling often suffers from insufficient heat sinks, high-temperature cracking and coking blockages, making it difficult to meet long-endurance thermal protection requirements. Liquid metal, due to its extremely high thermal conductivity, wide liquid phase temperature range, low Prandtl number and electromagnetic pump driving capability, has become a key technology for breaking through the bottleneck of high-heat-flux thermal protection. Apart from the magnitude of heat flux, the heat-transfer time scale (such as the characteristic thermal response time of the wall and the fluid) is also crucial. During hypersonic flight, transient thermal loads can change within milliseconds, requiring rapid thermal response. Liquid metals, due to their high thermal diffusivity, have a shorter thermal diffusion time compared to hydrocarbon fuels. This review employs a systematic literature review of approaches using gallium-indium-tin alloy, GaInSn, focusing on three core directions: the flow and heat-transfer characteristics of liquid metals, the optimization of cooling micro-channels, and the application of thermal protection systems. It summarizes the research progress at home and abroad, compares and analyzes the performance differences and applicable scenarios of typical liquid-metal working fluids, and summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of existing models, structural designs, and system schemes. The research shows that liquid metals can significantly alleviate thermal stratification and eliminate coking, and deep, narrow, tree-shaped, and biomimetic micro-channels can effectively enhance heat transfer. The liquid-metal-fuel dual-channel waste heat recovery and thermoelectric power generation system has demonstrated engineering application potential. Currently, the field still faces key challenges, such as unclear heat-transfer mechanisms under extreme conditions, the lack of general heat-transfer correlation formulas, insufficient compatibility with high-temperature materials, poor miniaturization and vibration resistance of electromagnetic pumps, and low system integration. In the future, efforts should be focused on developing multi-field coupled heat-transfer models under extreme thermal environments using engineered micro-channel structures, corrosion-resistant materials, and lightweight electromagnetic pumps, promoting the research and development of integrated thermal protection, heating and power generation systems, and providing support for the development of advanced thermal management systems for hypersonic aircraft and aviation engines.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13080726

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Gust Load Alleviation Based on Active Disturbance Rejection Control for a Flying-Wing Aircraft with Circulation Control Actuators

  Xueqi Liao, Weilin Zhang, Zhiwei Shi, Pengyu Guo, Xing Tian, Rui Li

  Flying-wing aircraft are more susceptible to wind disturbance due to their smaller wing loading, making gust alleviation critical for flight performance and safety. Conventional control surfaces may exhibit insufficient manipulation efficiency on such configurations, motivating the adoption of active flow control, particularly circulation control (CC) due to its favorable control efficiency. This paper presents an Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) framework for gust load alleviation (GLA) of flying-wing aircraft equipped with CC actuators, which enables real-time estimation and compensation of both gust disturbance and practical uncertainties and is validated through closed-loop wind-tunnel experiments under various sinusoidal gust conditions. An unsteady aerodynamic model with experimental data is established and simulations are performed for further investigation of alleviation performance and response characteristics under a wide range of gust conditions. Results show that both ADRC and PID exhibit degraded performance at higher gust frequencies and larger gust ratios, but ADRC achieves higher alleviation efficiency across the tested conditions. Furthermore, ADRC maintains satisfactory performance with actuator delays up to 0.04 s and outperforms PID under measurement noise and Dryden turbulence. These findings validate the effectiveness and robustness of ADRC for GLA, underscoring its practical potential for active flow control systems.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13080725

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Recent Advances in Multiaxial Shock/Vibration Environment Simulation and Damage Evaluation for Aircraft

  Hao Dong, Yongjie Zhang, Binbin Yan, Yaqiong Ma

  Modern aerospace vehicles operate under complex multiaxial dynamic environments throughout service, including multidirectional coupled shock, random vibration, harmonic vibration, and aeroelastic excitation. While conventional sequential uniaxial testing facilitates engineering implementation, it cannot replicate the spatial coherence, phase relationships, and nonlinear coupling effects of operational environments. This issue may bias the evaluation of structural response, fatigue damage, and onboard equipment functional degradation. This review summarizes recent advances in multiaxial shock/vibration environment simulation and damage evaluation for aerospace vehicles. It covers multiaxial load source classification, transmission paths and coupling mechanisms, dynamic response analysis, shock- and vibration-induced damage models, and updated experimental testing technologies. This work further identifies unresolved challenges in load-spectrum measurement, spectral-matrix reproduction, nonlinear path recognition, and coupled shock–vibration damage assessment. Future research directions are proposed, including multiaxial service-environment database construction, unified response and damage equivalence criteria, and integrated evaluation frameworks for structural, equipment and functional performance. This review provides technical references for the environmental design, structural qualification and reliability assessment of aerospace systems.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13080722

• Aviation safety & accidentsAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Explainable Reinforcement Learning Framework for Autonomous Windshear Escape with Policy Distillation

  Yitan Wang, Yangyang Zhang, Zhenxing Gao

  Low-altitude micro downbursts pose a severe threat to aviation safety, yet conventional control approaches and standard deep reinforcement learning (DRL) often fail due to explicit modeling difficulties and sparse reward constraints. To address these challenges, this study proposes an explainable, data-driven framework integrating active-reward proximal policy optimization (AR-PPO). A bilevel optimization architecture driven by meta-gradients is developed to dynamically discover optimal reward functions without human intervention. Furthermore, a policy distillation pipeline utilizing wavelet-multivariate singular spectrum analysis (W-MSSA) and classification and regression trees (CART) is proposed to translate high-frequency continuous neural outputs into discrete, pilot-readable rules. Simulation results on a B737-800 model demonstrate that AR-PPO effectively overcomes the “stall trap” by autonomously learning to trade altitude for airspeed, outperforming static-reward baselines and empirical human pilots in extreme, zero-shot windshear encounters (22.0 m/s downdraft). Ultimately, the proposed framework successfully distills black-box AI strategies into verifiable, physics-informed standard operating procedures (SOPs), providing a highly transparent and robust solution for autonomous windshear escape and future competency-based flight training.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13080721

• Aerospace engineeringAerospace2026Scopus-indexed

  Detailed Sensitivity and Multi-Level Design Studies on a Hydrogen-Hybrid Dual-Fuel Regional Aircraft Retrofit

  Ulrich Carsten Johannes Rischmüller, Alexandros Lessis, Patrick Egerer, Rafael Balderas-Xicohtencatl, Mirko Hornung

  Current research in commercial aviation is exploring numerous propulsion and aircraft technologies to mitigate its environmental impact. While purely hydrogen-powered aircraft face manifold challenges, combining hydrogen and conventional fuel may facilitate the introduction of hydrogen-based flight. This study dives into the conceptual design of a parallel-hybrid dual-fuel regional aircraft retrofit based on the D328eco. The assessed retrofit approach aims to extend airframe service life and reduce emissions by incorporating a novel propulsion system. By integrating high-temperature fuel cells (FCs) to assist conventional turboshaft engines, the powertrain reduces fuel consumption. Utilizing the Bauhaus Luftfahrt Aircraft Design Environment, various aircraft-level sensitivities and hybridization strategies were assessed. The fuel/payload ratio was identified as a key metric, and enabling FC support during diversion climb while minimizing that ratio shifted the corresponding hybridization degree from 20.3% to 37.2%. Retaining the reference turboshaft-engine for reduced retrofit development costs, a hybridization degree of 20.2% was attainable while the minimum allowable payload was carried aboard. Subsequent off-design mission analysis revealed a decrease in transport efficiency for reduced mission ranges, underlining the importance of market-tailored aircraft designs. The main studies were complemented by a higher-level emission and climate impact assessment to set the basis for more generalized retrofit statements.

  Full abstractdoi:10.3390/aerospace13080724

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Modelling and simulation of inclined vertical landing for an F-35B-type aircraft

  Sinan Başaran, Selim Sivrioğlu

  This research presents a control-oriented nonlinear mathematical model and control framework for the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) dynamics of an F-35B aircraft, specifically focusing on the critical phase of an inclined landing trajectory. The aircraft is characterised as a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) rigid body within the North-East-Down (NED) inertial frame, explicitly incorporating cross-coupling effects in the inertia tensor. The integrated modelling architecture encompasses a multi-nozzle propulsion system comprising a lift fan, a rear swivel nozzle with thrust vectoring capabilities, and dual-wing roll posts and a control-oriented aerodynamic model based on stability derivatives and dynamic pressure scaling. A significant contribution of this study is the extension of the rigid-body equations with a three-point landing gear subsystem that accounts for independent unsprung masses, linear suspension compliance and unilateral tire contact constraints, enabling a realistic simulation of the transition from jet-borne flight-to-ground interaction. To stabilise the inherently unstable STOVL envelope, a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) is synthesised via numerical linearisation of the nonlinear plant. Simulation results demonstrate the controller’s effectiveness in maintaining precise trajectory tracking and attitude regulation, successfully managing the complex force interactions between the propulsion system and the mechanical suspension during touchdown on a landing surface.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10217

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Compound fault diagnosis method for aircraft air data system based on UKF and capsule network

  Yanhua Zhang, Ziyue Wang, Zhaoqi Song, Yuehua Cheng, Kun Guo

  The air data system (ADS) consists of multiple sensors designed to measure atmospheric parameters during an aircraft’s flight. These measurements are then processed by the air data computer to compute the relevant flight parameters required for guidance and control. However, due to the system’s inherent complexity and the harsh flight environment, internal sensors are highly susceptible to failures, including scenarios where multiple components fail simultaneously. To address the issue of complex fault diagnosis in the aircraft air data system, this paper investigates a fault diagnosis method based on the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and capsule network (CapsNet). First, a UKF model for atmospheric parameters is established based on the computational principles of the air data system, and parameters that can effectively reflect fault information are selected. Then, feature mode decomposition is applied to enhance fault characteristics, which are used as inputs for the neural network. Next, the convolutional layers of the CapsNet are improved using the InceptionV3 network to enhance feature extraction capabilities, and a multi-label classifier is designed to achieve fault location of compound faults. Finally, the proposed algorithm is validated on the simulation platform. Through ablation and comparative experiments, the proposed algorithm achieves a fault diagnosis accuracy of over 95%, demonstrating a more effective solution to the compound fault problem in the aircraft air data system. In our study, compared to convolutional neural networks (CNN), fully convolutional network (FCN), temporal convolutional network (TCN), Inception V3 and the original CapsNet, the improved CapsNet achieved the best performance in compound fault diagnosis.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10170

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed

  Navigating the sustainability transition in aviation: the case of liquid hydrogen aircraft adoption by low-cost airlines

  Diego Babuder, Yulia Lapko, Paolo Trucco

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103011

• Air transport & operationsJournal of Air Transport Management2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Integrated air-rail multimodal strategy for aircraft and passenger recovery

  Fang Sun, Shenglu Wang, Hong Liu, Yu Zhang

  doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2026.103019

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Uncertainty quantification and switching control for bio-inspired morphing-tail aircraft: A polynomial chaos expansion approach

  Chen LIN, Yang YI, Enmei WANG, Rui CAO, Huitao LYU, Liang XU

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104423

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  On the docking buffeting–rolling phenomenon during the flight test of aerodynamics-driven monoplane-biplane morphing aircraft

  Yue FU, Liangtao FENG, Yukun GUO, Chenliang PAN, Yuyu DUAN, Yishan ZHOU, Haixin CHEN

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104092

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed3 citations

  Enhanced dynamic performance of DC microgrids in more electric aircraft via hybrid energy storage system

  Ming HUANG, Xiaofei SONG, Junchi WU, Weilin LI, Xiaobin ZHANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2025.103885

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Dynamic game strategy optimization for aircraft penetration under multi-interceptor scenario

  Hairan YU, Qun Zong, Xiuyun ZHANG, Da LIU, Zhiyu LI, Liqian DOU

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104098

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Physics-informed reinforcement learning based control for high-speed morphing aircraft

  Haocheng YANG, Peng WANG, Guojian TANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104412

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Priority-driven multi-objective reinforcement learning for aggressive flight control of fixed-wing aircraft

  Chaoyue ZHANG, Yongchao WANG, Yuxiang LUO, Yufei JIANG, Lintao WEI, Yaoming ZHOU

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104377

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Morphing aircraft technology as an enabler for next-generation supersonic transports: A comprehensive review

  Tianjian JIANG, Keyao SONG, Gui CHENG, Xiang ZHOU

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104389

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Decoupling and sparse modeling of vertical tail loads in T-tail aircraft with application to flight test data

  Yan SHAO, Min MENG, Tenglong GAO, Shuai XIE

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104393

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed

  Gliding arc discharge-enhanced atomization, vaporization, and pyrolysis of aviation fuel spray using 3D gas–liquid coupling model

  Yucheng MA, Yifei ZHU, Zhenyang LI, Junxiao LI, Yun WU

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104375

• Aerospace engineeringChinese Journal of Aeronautics2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  A simplified method for calculating the multi-hit kill probability of aircraft targets considering variable vulnerable area

  Yuxiang FENG, Yuan LI, Tao SUO, Jie WANG

  doi:10.1016/j.cja.2026.104337

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Analysing the risks of an unmanned aircraft accident near airport using a Bayesian network

  Chenglong Li, Jiameilin Lin, Xuejun Zhang, Yue Zhou, Shuwen Zhang, Yuan Zheng

  As drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used in different scenarios, a variety of potential risks and safety challenges have arisen. One of the threats is that an increasing number of UAV encounter events are found near the airport in recent years, which pose significant dangers to manned aircraft and result in accidents. However, only a few studies examine the impacts of these events and propose effective countermeasures to enhance safety. To unveil the risks of UAV risk events (incidents or accidents) and examine the mechanism with risk factors, this study uses a tree-augmented naive Bayes network (TAN-BN). This method analyses the relationships among risk factors and UAV accidents/incidents to assess the efficacy of risk mitigation measures. Environmental, technological and human factors are simultaneously considered in constructing the Bayesian network. The analysis results reveal 12 specific risk factors that are significantly associated with UAV accidents/incidents in UAV operation scenarios, among which flight control system failure (the most critical factor), remote communication failure, other aircraft approaching, loss of electrical power, adverse weather, electromagnetic interference, operational errors, violations and risk factors leading to loss-of-control in flight are recognised as the most prominent factors. Based on these, five targeted risk mitigation measures are comprehensively implemented and evaluated. Moreover, a case study using UAV operation data near the Guanghan airport is introduced to justify the generalisability of the proposed TAN-BN model and the effectiveness of risk mitigation measures.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10191

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed2 citations

  Aircraft takeoff speed prediction with deep learning: a comparative study of MLP, 1D-CNN, LSTM and attention-based architectures on Boeing 737-300 data

  Mehmet Konar, Hüseyin Alp Ayaz, Erkan Caner Özkat, Aydın Türkmen

  Modern aviation supports an ever-broader range of civil and military missions, and the airframes designed for these missions must satisfy stringent safety and performance requirements. The takeoff and landing phases are the most accident-prone portions of a flight despite representing only a short interval of the total block time, which makes the accurate prediction of takeoff speed a safety-relevant problem. A previous machine learning study addressed the takeoff-speed prediction problem of the Boeing 737-300 with classical regressors using pressure altitude, outside air temperature, gross weight and flap angle as the predictors. In the present work, the same regression problem is revisited under the deep learning paradigm. Four neural architectures are trained on an identical pre-processing pipeline and train-validation partition, namely a multilayer perceptron, a one-dimensional convolutional network, a long short-term memory network and a wide-and-deep architecture incorporating multi-head self-attention. Among the four candidates, the long short-term memory network attains the lowest root mean square error and mean square error on the unseen test file and is subsequently subjected to Bayesian hyperparameter optimisation through the Keras Tuner library. The predicted and the measured takeoff speeds are reported side by side for the first time in the deep learning literature for this airframe, and the simulation results indicate that the developed networks constitute an effective alternative tool for takeoff-speed prediction.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10193

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Contrail formation: generalised theory and a mitigation proposition for fuel-cell-propelled aircraft

  Dennis Hillenbrand, Simon Unterstrasser

  This study presents a generalised theory that describes the thermodynamical processes during mixing of a moist aircraft exhaust with the ambient air and allows one to decide whether or not a contrail forms. Usage of alternative fuels like hydrogen or ammonia increases the moisture content in aircraft plumes compared to current kerosene combustion. Our analysis compares the thermodynamic plume evolution for the classical mixing line and a novel generalised formulation. Additionally, both formulations are used to evaluate the limiting ambient temperature, above which an aircraft does not produce a contrail. We find that the inaccuracies introduced by the classical mixing line cancel each other out, leading to negligible differences between both formulations. Furthermore, the impact of potential heat and water vapour recuperation systems on contrail formation behind fuel-cell-propelled aircraft is investigated. Reducing the exhaust’s thermal energy by technical means increases the contrail formation propensity. Especially, if fuels with high hydrogen content are used, plumes with reduced heat content could reach supersaturation values above 500 percent sign 500 % $ 500{\%}$ . This can trigger liquid water droplet formation directly from the gas phase, a process absent in conventional contrail scenarios, and may increase the number of formed ice crystals drastically. A concurrent increase in ice crystal numbers and contrail formation propensity would increase the contrail-cirrus climate impact. To mitigate this scenario, our analysis identifies requirements on the reduction of exhaust water vapour to suppress contrail formation by technical means and reduce the potential contrail climate impact by fuel-cell-propelled aircraft.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10185

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Empirical models for light aircraft weight estimation in conceptual design and parametric studies

  Rashid Ali, Omran Al-Shamma

  The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) affects many aspects of aircraft design, such as performance, stability and control. It is the first and most important design variable that affects numerous aircraft design decisions. Understanding how parametric changes to the major design variables would likely affect the MTOW in the early stages of the preliminary design phase is crucial. This research introduces a ground-breaking approach to precision weight estimation in light aircraft design. Employing a statistical approach, specifically multilinear regression alone and coupled with p-value analysis, the study focuses on predicting the MTOW using datasets from aircraft still ‘in production’ and/or ‘in service’. The aircraft are categorised by landing gear arrangement and number of engines. Eight crucial design parameters that influence aircraft weight are used to determine the empirical models. The developed models successfully predict the MTOW with an error of less than 5% and outperform existing weight estimation techniques, empowering designers to conduct parametric studies that include essential design parameters at the early stages of aircraft design. The proposed methodology represents a paradigm shift in the field, offering a reliable and practical means of achieving precision in light aircraft weight predictions.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10184

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Crashworthiness and energy absorption characteristics of low-altitude aircraft with honeycomb bottom structures

  Zhe Ren, Hongyuan Yang, Yiru Ren

  With the development of the low-altitude economy, challenges and opportunities are gradually emerging. In potential crash accidents, it is necessary to enhance the crashworthiness of low-altitude aircraft to ensure the safety of the occupants. This paper studies different types of honeycomb energy-absorbing structures located at the bottom of the fuselage. Two types of honeycombs, hexagonal honeycomb (HEX) and re-entrant honeycomb (REH), are selected to construct an integrated energy-absorbing structure to absorb the impact kinetic energy during a crash accident. The effects of cellular type, unit size and wall thickness on the deformation mode and specific energy absorption (SEA) were systematically investigated. The results indicate that REH exhibits more stable hierarchical folding and a higher SEA. Furthermore, the study identifies an optimal geometric configuration, characterised by a specific combination of cellular size and wall thickness, that achieves the most effective balance between lightweight requirements and energy-absorbing capabilities.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10183

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Research on the safety of sled helicopter landing and sliding on snow-covered pavement

  Xinwang Yang, Huajin Ni, Taotao Liang, Yin Yin, Xiaohui Wei, Hong Nie

  Sled helicopters, equipped with sleds on landing gear, can land on thick snow-covered pavement. However, existing research focuses on hard-surface landings, with little investigation into snow-covered pavement, hampering safety assessments. This study analyses sled helicopter landing characteristics on snow-covered pavement. Using the capped Drucker–Prager snow constitutive model and the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian method, a multi-field finite-element model of the helicopter-snow system is established. Symmetrical and asymmetrical landing characteristics are compared, and the effects of initial landing velocity on landing and sliding safety boundaries are simulated. Results show that under identical symmetrical landing parameters, the maximum vertical overload at the centre of mass is 1.11 g, 25% lower than for wheeled helicopters. After an asymmetrical landing, the helicopter remains tilted, increasing load on a single landing gear. At a 5° roll angle, the peak load on the right landing gear is 22.88% higher than at 0°. Without rotor pitch moment, a heading velocity exceeding 3.8 m/s risks overturning during landing. Based on these findings, the velocity-moment safety boundary for the safe landing of sled helicopters is presented.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10176

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Surrogate-based structural optimisation of high aspect-ratio aircraft wings using a fully parametric FEM framework

  Spyridon Kilimtzidis, Vassilis Kostopoulos

  The structural optimisation of aircraft wings remains a critical task in modern, lightweight aeronautical design, where computational efficiency must be balanced against modeling fidelity. To that end, this paper presents an automated framework for the parametric finite element modeling (FEM) and surrogate-based optimisation (SBO) of an aircraft wing using MSC Patran and Nastran. The geometry and structural layout of the wing are generated through Patran Command Language (PCL) scripting, enabling fully parametric control of ribs, spars, stringers and thickness distributions. The automated model is then linked to MSC Nastran for static, global linear buckling and dynamic aeroelastic (flutter) analyses. To reduce the computational cost associated with repeated commercial FEM-based evaluations, surrogate models are constructed and used to drive the structural optimisation process. The framework is demonstrated on a representative high aspect-ratio wing structure, showing significant reductions in design cycle time while maintaining accuracy in predicting mass and performance metrics. The results highlight the potential of integrating surrogate modeling with commercial FEM software in an automated workflow, offering a practical and scalable approach for aerospace structural design and optimisation.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10180

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  A novel test unit for aircraft arresting systems

  Ata Çağlar Kelek, Şükrü Su, Mustafa Soylak

  Aircraft arresting systems (AAS) are critical safety components required for the operation of fighter aircraft, particularly during aborted take-off or emergency landing scenarios. The most significant challenge in the development and certification of these systems is the high-cost full-scale dead-load testing required to verify their performance under various aircraft mass and entry-speed conditions. This study presents a novel and fully domestic test system that reproduces the kinetic energy input defined in the MIL-STD-3036 standard by using high-inertia flywheels driven by electric servomotors. The proposed system stores the required energy in dual flywheels and transfers it to the arresting barrier through a controlled release mechanism, thereby replicating real aircraft-entry conditions without the need for jet engines, runways or physical dead-load vehicles. The study focuses on the conceptual design and analytical modelling of the proposed system. Dynamic analyses were conducted to determine flywheel geometry, material selection, allowable stresses, rotational speeds and energy absorption capacity. The system was shown to meet the highest energy level defined in the MIL-STD-3036 test matrix, while being designed to enable accurate and controlled evaluation of arresting force, torque response, angular deceleration and stopping time. Experimental validation has not yet been conducted and is planned as part of future work. The results demonstrate that the proposed test system provides an economical, repeatable and safe alternative to conventional dead-load tests and enables performance evaluation, maintenance verification and certification of AAS. Furthermore, the system offers a scalable platform for future arresting technologies, including those designed for unmanned aircraft and next-generation military platforms.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10181

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed5 citations

  Progress in aerodynamics and aeroelasticity of morphing aircraft

  Yuting Dai, Jinying Li, Yating Hu, Jiaying Zhang, Yuming Zhang, Ziyan Xi, Yang Zheng, Michael I. Friswell

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2026.101206

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  An improved deep autoencoder framework for aviation piston engine unsupervised anomaly detection considering the real-life data characteristics

  Guo Li, Tongge Xu, Shuiting Ding

  Anomaly detection in piston engines plays a pivotal role in maintaining the continuous airworthiness and operational safety of general aviation aircraft. However, real-life data present several challenges, including diverse operating conditions, intermixed normal and abnormal samples and complex fault phenomena, all of which complicate model training and manual labeling tasks. To address the challenges, an improved deep autoencoder-based framework under multiple working conditions (IMDAEF) is proposed to enhance the accuracy of anomaly detection and the performance evaluation process. First, in the proposed method, a clustering-guided approach is introduced for working condition identification. Piston engine parameters are used for K-means clustering, and aircraft flight phase information is incorporated to fine-tune the results. Second, during the deep autoencoder training process, a sample selection mechanism and an equivalent threshold method are conducted, considering the presence of outliers in normal operation data. Finally, during the model evaluation stage, recognising the complexity of real-life fault phenomena that hinder manual labeling, an outlier region division and selection mechanism is proposed to re-annotate subtle fault occurrences in the fault datasets, thereby improving model evaluation accuracy. Results from four representative fault datasets confirm that the proposed framework maintains strong detection performance against complex faults. Moreover, the experiments demonstrate its ability to mitigate the negative impact of real-life data characteristics while meeting real-time performance requirements, offering valuable insights for future research.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10172

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Airspace risk modeling under autonomous operation mode of aircraft based on potential field theory

  Shijia Zhang, Zhongye Wang, Jia Yi, Honghai Zhang, Jun Chen

  To meet the requirement of refined airspace risk assessment under the autonomous operation mode, this paper proposes an airspace risk calculation method based on potential field theory. First, an aircraft ellipsoidal risk zone is established to define the risk influence range. Based on the airspace grid and potential field function, a risk assessment model is constructed that considers the real-time impacts of distance, speed, heading, and other factors to model the radiation effect of aircraft operation risk. Second, two simulation scenarios are set up to validate the model’s effectiveness and analyze differences in the spatio-temporal distribution of airspace risk. Additionally, multiple conflict scenarios are established. The correlation coefficients between conflict indicators and average airspace risk values for different flights are calculated to demonstrate the model’s reasonableness. Finally, an airspace hotspot grid marking method is developed. Hotspot distributions are visualized across various grid scales, realizing multi-granularity awareness of the airspace safety situation from a spatial geographic perspective. Simulation results show the model effectively characterizes the real-time spatio-temporal distribution of airspace risk. As the number of simulated aircraft increases, the correlation between conflict indicators and average risk values becomes increasingly strong and stable, verifying the model’s validity. Furthermore, multi-granularity grids reveal hotspot distribution details at different spatial resolutions, providing a reference for on-board auxiliary decision-making systems to make trajectory adjustments.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10165

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Cruise range modeling of a transport aircraft using machine learning

  S. Mert Özer, Tolga Baklacioglu

  Accurate estimation of an aircraft cruise range is a critical challenge in aeronautical engineering that directly influences fuel efficiency, operational costs and environmental sustainability. Traditional analytical models, such as the Bréguet range equation, provide simplified range estimates but often fail to capture the nonlinear dependencies between flight parameters, fuel consumption and aerodynamic efficiency. In this study, machine learning-based regression methods have been employed to model the aircraft cruise range using the cruise flight data of Boeing 737–400, which is one of the most widely used commercial aircraft. Based on the calculated performance metrics, it is determined that the Gaussian process regression model exhibits superior validation and test performance compared to the other models. The developed models provide deeper insight into range variations under various flight conditions by performing accurate and robust predictions.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10157

• Aviation safety & accidentsProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  A 25-year journey in Quick Access Recorder (QAR) data: A thematic review of analytics for aircraft safety, efficiency, and health management

  Enis T. Turgut

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2026.101204

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed3 citations

  Liquid hydrogen in aviation: A critical review of usage and level sensing technologies

  Adrian Josua Orlando Winter, Kay Kochan

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2026.101205

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  A systematic literature review on applications of collaborative robotics in aircraft manufacturing assembly: towards aircraft final assembly processes

  F.J. Miotto, W.R. de Oliveira, E. Villani, J.M.G. de Mello

  Collaborative robots (cobots) have emerged as a pivotal paradigm for the upcoming leap to Industry 5.0. In recent years, the range of applications has expanded significantly, particularly in assembly tasks within the manufacturing industry. The primary goal of this paper is to review the application of cobots in industrial assembly tasks, highlighting possibilities for innovative research in smart robotics, including prospects for challenging applications in aircraft final assembly processes. The paper systematically reviews recent literature to analyse the use of collaborative robotics in industrial assembly tasks, encompassing characterisation of application environments, motivations, characteristics and outcomes of relevant use cases across various industrial segments. Additionally, it reviews a set of innovative technological patents issued by the aeronautical industry over the past 14 years, highlighting trending projects in industry. The investigation reveals that the automotive and electronics industries remain at the forefront of cobot applications, mainly for tasks like pick-and-place operations and component manipulation. Applications in open work cells, where humans and robots operate at supportive or sequential interaction levels, using conventional communication interfaces and camera-assisted technologies, have been the most prevalent. The review identifies potential opportunities and key aspects from future application scenarios for cobots. The findings are relevant to the industrial robotics community, emphasising the need for novel applied research on human–robot colla boration in aeronautical industry.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10128

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Investigation of aerodynamic performance of bladeless fan-based fluidic propulsion integrated on aircraft wing

  Kashif Mehmood, Aamer Shahzad, Muhammad Nafees Mumtaz Qadri, Shuaib Salamat, Taimur Ali Shams, Jehanzeb Masud

  Fluidic propulsion based on bladeless fan technology has shown strong potential to generate sufficient thrust for lightweight commuter aircraft. Bladeless fans work by entraining and directing ambient air, a feature that can be harnessed not only for thrust generation but also to augment lift. This research investigates the integration of bladeless fans over aircraft wings through both two-dimensional and three-dimensional computational simulations, supplemented by wind tunnel experiments. Multiple configurations were examined – varying fan height, spanwise and chordwise placement, orientation and the number of fan units – and compared against the aerodynamic performance of a baseline wing. The results demonstrate that leading-edge fan placement outperforms trailing-edge configurations, particularly in the post-stall regime. For 2D cases, a maximum of 71% lift increment in the post-stall region with 25% increase in the stall angle was observed. Additionally, the bladeless fans effectively reshape the flow field over the wing, increasing lift at the cost of higher drag relative to the baseline. For 2D cases, a 50% increase in zero lift drag was observed; however, 39% reduction was also observed in post-stall region. Among all configurations, the triple-bladeless-fanjet arrangement delivered the best performance, with further gains observed when a positive incidence angle was applied to the fans. An increase of 45% in lift coefficient was observed for triple fan configuration. These computational findings were validated through wind tunnel tests on a propeller-driven aircraft model, where the bladeless fan-equipped version exhibited superior aerodynamic performance compared to the baseline.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10151

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed3 citations

  Artificial intelligence for sustainable aviation: a review on operational implementations and future perspectives

  S. Ceken, A. Tuncal

  This study presents a systematic review of peer-reviewed academic literature to explore the current landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in sustainable aviation operations. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, four main thematic domains were identified, encompassing emission and fuel efficiency, maintenance reliability, infrastructure sustainability and education- or policy-related applications. In addition to thematic synthesis, the study mapped the annual publication frequency, the AI methods employed and the aviation domains targeted. The results reveal an increasing interest in hybrid and deep learning models, such as long short-term memory (LSTM), convolutional neural networks (CNN) and attention-based architectures, particularly in-flight optimisation and delay prediction tasks. AI-based flight optimisation techniques, such as trajectory prediction and adaptive fuel management, contribute to reducing CO 2 emissions through more efficient flight planning and operations. Moreover, predictive maintenance supported by AI-driven digital twin systems has gained prominence due to its potential to reduce downtime and increase safety. The discussion further addresses regulatory challenges, the importance of explainable AI and integration barriers within complex aviation ecosystems. Findings are derived from a focused corpus of 27 peer-reviewed studies, which, although limited in number, offer representative insights into current sectoral trends. This review makes a significant contribution to both academia and industry by offering a comprehensive framework that categorises AI applications and highlights future research directions. Key implications include the need for regulatory harmonisation, real-time decision-support tools, and interdisciplinary approaches that integrate AI with behavioural sciences and sustainability goals.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10138

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Fuel-based thermal management systems for aircraft electrification: modelling and performance analysis

  Stefano Favre, Flavio Di Fede, Eugenio Brusa, Cristiana Delprete, Grazia Accardo

  Recent trends in the context of aircraft propulsion and systems electrification are met with challenges, as new sources of on-board waste heat generation are introduced. The development and optimisation of innovative thermal management systems (TMS) for aviation is a key asset in addressing those challenges. Leveraging the intrinsic thermal capacity of Jet-A fuel appears as a promising solution to provide heat source cooling for both conventional and hybrid-electric aircraft configurations. In this paper, the feasibility of a fuel-based thermal management system (F-TMS) is investigated to support thermal control of fuel cells in the context of hybrid-propulsion electrification for a regional transport aircraft. A modelling approach is proposed for the dynamic simulation of the stored fuel mass and temperature, along with a preliminary investigation of the passive heat rejection through the tank walls. The performance of the F-TMS is simulated for two primary cooling architectures, and their thermal endurance is compared across some realistic flight mission profiles. Finally, the influence of altitude, range and alternate flight is investigated to identify critical scenarios of F-TMS utilisation and derive the maximum degree of supported hybridisation.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10148

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Matheuristic strategy development and benchmarking for explainable and efficient aircraft departure sequencing

  Kadir Dönmez, Oguzhan Sahin

  This paper develops and compares four distinct constraint-aware and adaptive matheuristic approaches based on tabu search, simulated annealing, bacterial foraging optimisation and multi-ant colony optimisation. By integrating metaheuristic search with a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model, a hybrid framework is designed to optimise aircraft departure sequencing with rigorous precision. The core novelty lies in how this integration reconciles the exactness of mathematical programming with the interpretability of metaheuristics. Standard MILP models offer precise solutions but function as opaque ‘black boxes’, while standard metaheuristics operate via understandable moves but often rely on simplified feasibility checks. The proposed solution merges these strengths, employing adaptive metaheuristics to generate candidate sequences using interpretable moves while a restricted MILP acts as a high-fidelity evaluator. Fixing the sequence enables the MILP to focus solely on optimising continuous timings and holds. This ensures that every candidate step is strictly feasible and optimally timed, turning the solution process into a sequence of human-readable queue adjustments backed by the numerical precision of an exact solver. In a calibrated Antalya Airport case study with 40 aircraft, all algorithms attain the MILP optimum or remain within 1% of it, achieving a 29% reduction in hold fuel compared to first-come-first-served (FCFS). In denser 50-aircraft scenarios, the approach maintains high solution quality within feasible time limits, proving that explainability does not require sacrificing computational efficiency.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10146

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  Nonlinear adaptive longitudinal controller and flight qualities validation for a business aircraft

  R. P. Andrianantara, G. Ghazi, R. M. Botez

  This paper presents the design of a nonlinear adaptive flight control system for the Cessna Citation X longitudinal dynamics. The aircraft pitch rate is controlled using a combination of recursive least squares-based nonlinear dynamic inversion and an adaptive neural network controller. The recursive least squares algorithm provides online parameter estimates to support the inversion, while the neural network compensates for residual modeling errors through online weight adaptation. To enhance robustness and ensure stability, a fixed-gain proportional integral derivative controller is integrated into the control structure. Unlike conventional gain-scheduled controllers, where PID gains vary with flight condition, the proposed adaptive controller uses a single baseline set of fixed gains. The adaptive component updates the control action online, enabling the same controller configuration to operate effectively across all 64 cruise conditions without any gain scheduling. A systematic tuning methodology is introduced for initialising the recursive least squares, selecting forgetting factors and applying covariance resets to ensure accurate adaptation. The controller is able to track a pitch-rate reference model that satisfies longitudinal flight quality requirements. Robustness is assessed under realistic disturbances, including wind gusts, Dryden turbulence, actuator loss-of-effectiveness and actuator noise. Simulation results demonstrate that the controller achieves precise reference tracking while maintaining Level 1 flight qualities. Stability is formally guaranteed using Lyapunov-based analysis. The findings highlight the ability of the designed hybrid adaptive controller to overcome limitations of linearisation, gain scheduling and estimator sensitivity, forecasting a practical and certifiable method for the integration of intelligent adaptive flight control systems into commercial aircraft.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10132

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Quantification of an atypical air environment in support of uncrewed aircraft operations over congested areas

  Owen McAree

  This paper demonstrates a method for quantifying the unmitigated mid-air collision (MAC) rate ( lamda Subscript MAC λ MAC ${\lambda _{{\textrm{MAC}}}}$ ) between crewed aircraft and uncrewed aircraft (UA) above different congested area operating environments, to support broadening the definition of an atypical air environment (AAE) within the United Kingdom (UK). The underlying principle of this work is that all crewed aircraft should be operating in accordance with UK Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA), which dictate minimum operating heights over built-up areas, specifically 1,000 ft in the majority of cases, except during take-off and landing. It is unrealistic, however, to assume that this rule is never breached; therefore, we present a method for objectively evaluating the likely encounter rate. We systematically consider the exclusion of runway protection zones (RPZs), aerodrome traffic zones (ATZs) and helicopter landing sites (HLSs) from the operating areas and evaluate the effect on lamda Subscript MAC λ MAC ${\lambda _{{\textrm{MAC}}}}$ . Results are presented that apply the methodology to over 33,000 hours worth of air traffic data recorded at three different sites across the UK. It is concluded that the operation of UA overhead congested areas, outside of RPZs and HLSs, likely satisfies an appropriate target level of safety (TLS) to be considered an AAE up to a height of 100 m above ground level (AGL) both inside and outside of controlled airspace.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10144

• Aviation safety & accidentsThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed1 citations

  UAV-supported visual inspection of aircraft for corrosion and crack detection

  B. Kurt, M. Soylak, O. Köse

  Maintenance procedures are critically important for preserving the structural integrity, maintaining the functionality and ensuring the operational safety of aircraft. Traditional inspection techniques used in aircraft are often costly, time-consuming and prone to human mistake. Today, the opportunities provided by digitalisation and automation in aircraft maintenance and inspection processes are paving the way for innovative approaches. In this context, the use of inspection systems supported by image processing technologies has the potential to bring about a significant transformation in aircraft maintenance. Visual inspection methods integrated with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) enable the rapid, accurate and repeatable detection of defects such as corrosion and cracks on the external surfaces of aircraft. This study focuses on the automatic detection and classification of defects on the external surfaces of aircraft, based on tests and analyses carried out by artificial intelligence algorithms using high-resolution data. The model developed in this study was implemented in Python in the Google Colab environment and supported by AI algorithms trained on visual data. The main objective is to investigate the feasibility of UAV-based systems for aircraft visual inspection and to provide concrete evidence of their practical applicability. In this regard, the UAV platform selected for image acquisition is intended to comprehensively scan the target areas and capture images with sufficient resolution for processing by artificial intelligence algorithms. A review of the literature reveals that UAV- and AI-based integrated approaches have been explored in only a limited number of studies related to aircraft maintenance. In this context, the present study proposes a system that enables the rapid and accurate detection of structural defects such as corrosion and cracks on the external surfaces of aircraft.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10136

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed10 citations

  Recent advancements and challenges for eVTOL aircraft aerodynamic noise in Urban Air Mobility

  Changsheng Zhao, Yannian Yang, Zhiyong Cheng, Tongzhen Zhang, Yu Liu

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2026.101184

• Aerospace engineeringThe Aeronautical Journal2026Scopus-indexed

  Review of trajectory planning methods for civil supersonic aircraft

  M. Colling, P. Thomas, P. Sarhadi

  Renewed interest in supersonic air travel has prompted researchers to reconsider the design and operation of supersonic transport aircraft. Previously, such aircraft were restricted to overwater routes due to the disturbances caused by their sonic booms. Now, however, low-boom designs and overland flight at marginally supersonic Mach numbers are seen as potential enablers for widespread supersonic air travel. As a result, the trajectories that next-generation supersonic transports may fly are likely to be less constrained than for previous types, and in the last decade there has been a noticeable increase in research focusing on trajectory planning for such aircraft. This paper reviews the different methods that have been used to generate and optimise the flight paths of past and future supersonic transports. The challenges associated with optimising trajectories for aircraft that do not yet exist are discussed, and suggestions for future research activity are presented. Climate-optimal trajectory planning and development of detailed, non-proprietary supersonic aircraft performance models are identified as two key areas for future work.

  Full abstractdoi:10.1017/aer.2026.10129

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed4 citations

  Comparative analysis of emission reduction and combustion performance in aviation engines: The role of sustainable aviation fuel

  Longfei Chen, Aaqib Zafar, Zheng Xu, Shenghui Zhong, Minghua Wang, Yukun Fan, Yang Zhang, Wentao Shi, et al.

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2025.101172

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed6 citations

  A blueprint for a zero-emission hydrogen aviation ecosystem for the year 2050

  Phillip J. Ansell

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2025.101169

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed4 citations

  Advancing aviation sustainability by 2050: Scaling renewable energy systems for hydrogen production and E-fuel integration

  Mahdi Jahami, Paramvir Singh, Bhupendra Khandelwal

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2025.101170

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2026Scopus-indexed2 citations

  Technology exploration of zero-emission regional aircraft: Why, what, when and how?

  Evangelia Pontika, Panagiotis Laskaridis, Phillip J. Ansell, Kiruba Haran, Rukshan Navaratne, Timoleon Kipouros

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2025.101171

• Aviation safety & accidentsProgress in Aerospace Sciences2025Scopus-indexed62 citations

  A review on safety control of unmanned aerial vehicles with guaranteed performance requirements

  Ziquan Yu, Mengna Li, Youmin Zhang, Bin Jiang

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2025.101144

• Aerospace engineeringProgress in Aerospace Sciences2025Scopus-indexed6 citations

  Regulatory pathways to certifiable condition based maintenance solutions in aviation: A comprehensive review

  Robert Meissner, Ahmad Ali Pohya, Oliver Weiss, David Piotrowski, Gerko Wende

  doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2025.101143