Maneuver-based autonomous navigation of a small fixed-wing UAV

An urban operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) demands a high level of autonomy for tasks presented in a cluttered environment. While fixed-wing UAVs have been well suited for long-endurance missions at a high altitude, their navigation inside an urban area brings more challenges in motion planning and control. The inability to hover and low agility in motion cause more difficulties on planning a feasible path in a compact region, and a limited payload allows only low-grade sensors for state estimation and control.