Call for Papers

Periodically, we will organize Special Issues–proposals are always welcome. This is an opportunity to focus the content of an issue on a particular theme, which provides a unique coherence to the subject matter. Often, such Special Issues become valuable go-to resources for those working in the field and for those who want a convenient on-ramp to subjects in the field.

IEEE Journal of Miniaturization for Air and Space Systems
Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence Meets UAVs

In the last few years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have developed rapidly, and the applications of UAVs have been expanded to wide areas, including photography, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and search and rescue operations. The development of artificial intelligence, especially LLM (Large Language Model), enables various types of robots or UAVs to learn from their operating environments and self-improve. Recently, OpenAI-o1, DeepSeek-R1 style LLMs show very strong reasoning capability, called Reasoning Language Model (RLM). With the reasoning capability, the RLM could empower UAVs to perceive, process, plan, and react to their environments as a human-level intelligence agent with its environment. Equipped with RLMs, the killer application will be born.

This special issue aims to collect outstanding contributions of recent state-of-the-art models, methods, and hardware implementations, Artificial Intelligence Meets UAVs remote sensing data, and will provide a platform to promote interdisciplinary research across remote sensing, information fusion, real-time processing, and artificial intelligence. The broad topics include (but are not limited to):

(1). Embodied Intelligence Systems for UAVs
(2). Cutting-edge VLA(Vision-Language-Action) Models for UAVs
(3). Frontier framework for UAVs with RLM
(4). AI Agent for Autonomous UAVs
(5). Multi-Modal Model for UAVs
(6). Autonomous Navigation for UAVs
(7). Object Detection with UAVs
(8). Object Re-Identification with Multi-UAVs
(9). 3D Reconstruction for UAVs
(10). 3D Gaussian Splatting for UAV Images
(11). Multi-UAV Cooperative and Planning
(12). Applications Using UAVs. Such as Environmental Monitoring, Agricultural, and Search and Rescue Operations

Schedule

Oct. 1st, 2025, Submission system opening
Dec 31st, 2026, Submission date closing

Format

All submissions will be peer reviewed. Submitted articles should not have been published or be under review elsewhere. Submit your manuscript on https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/JMASS, using the Manuscript Central interface, and select the “Artificial Intelligence Systems for UAVs” special issue manuscript type. Prospective authors should consult the site https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9082768 for guidelines and information on paper submission. All submissions must be formatted using the IEEE standard format (double column, single spaced). Please visit http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/authors/author_templates.html to download a template for transactions.

Guest Editors

Haifeng Li, Central South University, China (lihaifeng@csu.edu.cn)
Quan Quan, Beihang University, China (qq_buaa@buaa.edu.cn)
Yansheng Li, Wuhan University, China (chenl@bit.edu.cn)
Chao Tao, Central South University, China (kingtaochao@csu.edu.cn)
Han Hu, Southwest Jiaotong University, China (han.hu@swjtu.edu.cn)

Timetable:

Submission system openingSubmission system closing
October 01, 2025 December 31, 2026   


IEEE Journal of Miniaturization for Air and Space Systems
Special Issue on Miniaturized Radar and SAR Systems: Advanced Signal Processing for Resource-Constrained Airborne and Spaceborne Platforms

The proliferation of lightweight platforms, such as micro/nano satellites and small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has created an urgent demand for miniaturized radar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. However, these resource-constrained platforms face significant challenges in achieving high-fidelity imaging and robust target detection due to limitations in power budget, antenna aperture size, and onboard computational throughput. This special issue focuses on the cutting-edge intersection of radar miniaturization and advanced signal processing, exploring innovative methodologies to overcome the performance bottlenecks imposed by size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints.

This special issue aims to bridge the gap between theoretical signal processing advancements and practical implementation on embedded aerospace systems. We seek contributions that address the unique challenges of operating radar and SAR systems in environments with limited data rates, low signal-to-noise ratio, and restricted processing capabilities. By rethinking the traditional radar processing chain, we aim to enable high-resolution imaging and real-time situational awareness on the smallest of air and space vehicles.

The topics of interest for this Special Issue include (but are not limited to):

  • SWaP-optimized SAR imaging algorithms
  • Compressive sensing and sparse recovery for Radar
  • Low-power radar hardware and antenna design
  • Onboard data processing and real-time compression
  • Cognitive radar and adaptive waveform design
  • Multi-channel processing for small arrays
  • Micro-Doppler analysis and target classification
  • Hardware-aware machine learning for SAR
  • Experimental validation on miniaturized platforms
  • Other related topics

Guest Editors:

Xiaqing Yang, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China (yxqvalerie0711@hotmail.com)
Jiahui  Chen, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China (chenjiahui@uestc.edu.cn)
Qiao Shi, Southwest Jiaotong University (qiaoshi@swjtu.edu.cn)
Peilun Wu, National University of Defense Technology (plw@nudt.edu.cn)
Shixing Yang, Xidian University (yangshixing@xidian.edu.cn)

Timetable:

Submission system openingSubmission system closing
November 01, 2026  December 31, 2027   

Manuscript Submission:

All submissions will be peer reviewed. Submitted articles should not have been published or be under review elsewhere. Submit your manuscript on https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/JMASS, using the Manuscript Central interface, and select the “Miniaturized Radar and SAR Systems: Advanced Signal Processing for Resource-Constrained Airborne and Spaceborne Platforms” special issue manuscript type. Prospective authors should consult the site https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9082768 for guidelines and information on paper submission. All submissions must be formatted using the IEEE standard format (double column, single spaced). Please visit http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/authors/author_templates.html to download a template for transactions.


IEEE Journal of Miniaturization for Air and Space Systems
Special Issue on Advanced Sensing and Data Processing for UAV and Small Satellite Platforms


Under the context of the rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and small satellite platforms, miniaturized air and space systems provide cost-effective and flexible solutions for scientific research, Earth observation, and industrial applications. These platforms demand high-performance sensors, efficient data acquisition, and robust data processing capabilities. However, due to strict constraints on size, power, and communication bandwidth, achieving high-precision sensing and efficient data processing remains a significant challenge. Consequently, research and innovation in advanced sensing and data processing for miniaturized platforms are of
critical importance.

Advanced sensing and data processing methods present new opportunities for miniaturized platforms to realize high precision data acquisition, real-time analytics, and efficient information extraction. By optimizing sensor design, enhancing data processing algorithms, and refining system integration strategies, researchers can enable faster and more accurate data analysis, thereby meeting the stringent demands of scientific and industrial applications for small air and space systems. This Special Issue of IEEE J-MASS aims to highlight the latest developments in sensing system design, data processing methods, and system-level integration for UAV and small satellite platforms. We invite original research papers and comprehensive reviews covering topics such as sensor development, platform integration, data processing strategies, and system performance optimization. This Special Issue seeks to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and technological innovation, advancing the capabilities of miniaturized air and space platforms for scientific, industrial, and applied research.easurements.pplications from precision agriculture and infrastructure inspection to planetary exploration and on-orbit servicing.

The broad topics include (but are not limited to):

  • Advanced sensing system design and integration for UAV and small satellite platforms
  • Efficient onboard data acquisition and preprocessing techniques for miniaturized platforms
  • New techniques and applications for processing UAV and small satellite remote sensing data, including image
    enhancement and restoration, image classification, detection, multi-sensor data fusion, etc.
    (e.g., optical, hyperspectral, SAR, LiDAR, etc.)
  • Innovative methods for multi-sensor calibration and integration in small-scale air and space systems

Guest Editors:

Lianhui Liang, Guangxi University, China. (Lianglh0308@gxu.edu.cn)
Xuanwen Tao, University of Antwerp, Belgium. (taoxuanwenupc@gmail.com)
Long Yu, South China University Of Technology, China. (yulong6@scut.edu.cn)
Yao Ding, Rocket Force University of Engineering, China. (dingyao.88@outlook.com)
Juan M. Haut, University of Extremadura, Spain. (juanmariohaut@unex.es)

Timetable:

Manuscript SubmissionManuscript ReviewEstimated Publication
Jun. 30, 2026  Feb. 28, 2027   TBD

Manuscript Submission:

All submissions will be peer reviewed according to the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society guidelines. Submitted articles should not have been published or be under review elsewhere. Submit your manuscript on https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmass, using the Manuscript Central interface and select the “Advanced Sensing and Data Processing for UAV and Small Satellite Platforms” special issue manuscript type. Prospective authors should consult the site https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9082768 for guidelines and information on paper submission. All submissions must be formatted using the IEEE standard format (double column, single spaced). Please visit http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/authors/author_templates.html to download a template for transactions. No page charges will be applied for publication.