# HUNT: High-Speed UAV Navigation and Tracking in Unstructured Environments via Instantaneous Relative Frames

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.19452 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.19452/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 16 of its 26 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Sep 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 16 of 16)

- [Depth Anything V2](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.09414/) (2024)
- [ORB-SLAM3: An Accurate Open-Source Library for Visual, Visual-Inertial and Multi-Map SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.11898/) (2020)
- [FAST-LIO2: Fast Direct LiDAR-inertial Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.06829/) (2021)
- [acados: a modular open-source framework for fast embedded optimal control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.13753/) (2019)
- [Physics-Inspired Temporal Learning of Quadrotor Dynamics for Accurate Model Predictive Trajectory Tracking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.03305/) (2022)
- [Long-range UAV Thermal Geo-localization with Satellite Imagery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.02994/) (2023)
- [Unifying Foundation Models with Quadrotor Control for Visual Tracking Beyond Object Categories](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.04781/) (2023)
- [Robust Active Visual Perching with Quadrotors on Inclined Surfaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.02458/) (2022)
- [Reactive Collision Avoidance for Safe Agile Navigation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.11962/) (2024)
- [PACNav: A collective navigation approach for UAV swarms deprived of communication and external localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.05258/) (2023)
- [AIVIO: Closed-loop, Object-relative Navigation of UAVs with AI-aided Visual Inertial Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.05996/) (2024)
- [A Map-free Deep Learning-based Framework for Gate-to-Gate Monocular Visual Navigation aboard Miniaturized Aerial Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05251/) (2025)
- [Vision-Based Terrain Relative Navigation on High-Altitude Balloon and Sub-Orbital Rocket](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.08011/) (2023)
- [CoNi-MPC: Cooperative Non-inertial Frame Based Model Predictive Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.11259/) (2023)
- [Time-Optimized Safe Navigation in Unstructured Environments through Learning Based Depth Completion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.14975/) (2025)
- [NOVA: Navigation via Object-Centric Visual Autonomy for High-Speed Target Tracking in Unstructured GPS-Denied Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.18689/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Search and rescue operations require unmanned aerial vehicles to both traverse unknown unstructured environments at high speed and track targets once detected. Achieving both capabilities under degraded sensing and without global localization remains an open challenge. Recent works on relative navigation have shown robust tracking by anchoring planning and control to a visible detected object, but cannot address navigation when no target is in the field of view. We present HUNT (High-speed UAV Navigation and Tracking), a real-time framework that unifies traversal, acquisition, and tracking within a single relative formulation. HUNT defines navigation objectives directly from onboard instantaneous observables such as attitude, altitude, and velocity, enabling reactive high-speed flight during search. Once a target is detected, the same perception-control pipeline transitions seamlessly to tracking. Outdoor experiments in dense forests, container compounds, and search-and-rescue operations with vehicles and mannequins demonstrate robust autonomy where global methods fail.