Runway-Free Recovery Methods for Fixed-Wing UAVs: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have the advantages of long endurance and fast flight speed and are widely used in surveying, mapping, monitoring, and defense fields. However, its conventional take-off and landing methods require runway support. Achieving runway-free recovery is necessary for expanding the application of fixed-wing UAVs. This research comprehensively reviews the various techniques and scenarios of runway-free recovery of fixed-wing UAVs and summarizes the key technologies. The above methods cover parachute recovery, net recovery, rope recovery, SideArm recovery, deep stall recovery, towed drogue docking recovery, and robotic arm recovery methods within runway-free recovery. Finally, this research discusses the future research directions of runway-free recovery.