Advancements in UAV-Based Integrated Sensing and Communication: A Comprehensive Survey

Abstract

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) integrated with integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) technology have emerged as a compelling platform for sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks, leveraging three-dimensional mobility to perform simultaneous sensing and communication (S&C) across applications ranging from disaster response to airspace monitoring. While the field has advanced rapidly, existing surveys have not sufficiently characterized UAV-specific design challenges nor the cross-cutting trade-offs governing practical deployment. To bridge this gap, this survey provides a systematic review across six interconnected domains—channel estimation (CE) and beam tracking, throughput maximization, weighted sum rate (WSR) and sensing co-optimization, delay and age of information (AoI) minimization, energy efficiency (EE), and PLS—each supported by a structured comparative table covering over 80 methodologies. The survey concludes with a research roadmap addressing propagation modeling, platform dynamics, imperfect channel state information (CSI) robustness, energy-AoI-security co-design, and standardization, providing a structured foundation for future 6G UAV-ISAC research.