Recent Developments and Applications of Drone Swarm: Techniques, Strategies, and Challenges

The dynamic and complex environment, together with challenging assignments, requires that unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems evolve toward cooperation, autonomy, and cognition. UAV swarms illustrate a revolutionary development in aerial robotics, which utilizes coordinated autonomy to improve operational efficiency. This study offers a detailed examination of UAV swarm systems, the latest developments, and their different applications. The main domains, such as intelligent path planning, work allocation, coordinated control, and safety issues, are analyzed, focusing on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning (DL) to enhance decision-making and agility. We address the constraints and potential advances in the field of swarm intelligence to facilitate additional research endeavors. The ongoing advancement of drone swarm technologies and its exploration of military uses highlight the increasing importance of anti-drone swarm strategies. Therefore, studying these strategies will have substantial practical importance in preventing and countering drone swarm combat. Thus, this article provides detailed drone swarm applications and the importance of anti-drone swarm techniques in strategic operations. Furthermore, this comprehensive study of the literature aims to offer innovative perspectives on the latest advances in UAV swarm intelligence technology. Future research trends and challenges are discussed to find the research gap.