Air Mobility with VTOL UAVs: An Integrative Review of Architectures, Mission Profiles, Planning Algorithms, and Regulatory Frameworks
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Air mobility has emerged as a key paradigm for enabling flexible and efficient aerial transportation and mission-oriented operations. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, and particularly platforms with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, play a central role in the development of future air mobility systems. In this paper, a new conceptual framework linking six key dimensions: VTOL/eVTOL architectures, regulatory constraints, flight mission profiles, air mobility algorithms, infrastructure requirements, and social impacts, was proposed. The first four layers from the proposed framework that are usually surveyed separately, VTOL airframe architectures, mission profiles for single and multiple vehicles, the algorithms that turn a mission into executable flight, and the regulatory frameworks within which all of this must operate, were integrated and analyzed. Planning methods are classified by decision level, information availability, coordination structure, computational approach, and assurance level, with algorithmic guarantees interpreted in the context of their underlying assumptions. An illustrative phase-dependent energy model explores how hover fraction and cruise range influence comparisons among multirotor, lift-plus-cruise, and tilt-rotor configurations. To improve cross-study interpretation, the review also proposes task-dependent reporting domains and an evidence-level framework for assessing algorithmic results. The synthesis provides guidance for coupled platform and planning-method selection, while recognizing the limitations of its source-selection process and comparisons across heterogeneous evaluation conditions.
Source: Drones
Institution: Transilvania University of Brașov
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W7225633387
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