The 2026 International Conference on Guidance, Navigation and Control (ICGNC 2026) was successfully held in Guilin, China, from August 7 to 9. Co-hosted by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CSAA) and the National Key Laboratory of Aircraft Integrated Flight Control at Beihang University, the conference has cemented its reputation as a premier international forum for cutting-edge research and cross-disciplinary collaboration in the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) field.

The event was organized by the CSAA Technical Committee on Guidance, Navigation and Control (TCGNC) and Guilin University of Aerospace Technology (GUAT), with technical co-sponsorship from multiple prestigious academic bodies, including the State Key Laboratory of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems, several technical committees of the Chinese Association of Automation (CAA), and the editorial board of the journal Guidance, Navigation and Control (English edition).

The event featured a rich program that included three concurrent forums: the GNC National-level Model Teacher Forum, the GNC Young Scientist Forum, and the GNC Chief Engineer Forum.

The conference was co-chaired by Duan Haibin, Professor of Beihang University and Director of the TCGNC, and Han Junfeng, Party Secretary of GUAT. The opening ceremony was moderated by Sun Shanlin, President of GUAT and Vice Chair of the conference.

Distinguished guests in attendance included Chen Yang, Secretary-General of CSAA, and Yang Shasha, Deputy Mayor of Guilin. In his opening address, Chen Yang extended a warm welcome to all participants and said that after more than a decade of development, ICGNC has evolved into an internationally influential academic platform, fostering a unique "three-forum" structure that bridges education, research, and engineering practice.

Lyu Jinhu, Vice President of Beihang University, highlighted in his address that Beihang, as the first institution of higher education in aeronautics and astronautics established after the founding of New China, has always prioritized serving the nation's strategic needs. The National Key Laboratory of Aircraft Integrated Flight Control, he noted, serves as a crucial platform for driving high-level organized research and fostering interdisciplinary integration. He expressed Beihang's commitment to deepening exchanges and cooperation with universities, research institutes, industry partners, and international peers to cultivate innovative talent dedicated to national advancement.

Han Junfeng noted that GUAT, leveraging its distinctive aerospace-focused education and supported by advanced research platforms, has sustained research efforts in UAV swarms, BeiDou navigation, and aerospace intelligence. These efforts, aligned with regional industrial development needs such as the low-altitude economy, laid a solid foundation for hosting the conference.

Duan Haibin, on behalf of the TCGNC and the conference program and organizing committees, expressed gratitude to all participants. He encouraged attendees to leverage the platform for academic exchange and collaborative progress, urging them to explore the "uncharted territories" in the GNC field and contribute to achieving genuine high-level technological self-reliance and innovation in China.

The conference featured a series of distinguished plenary lectures by Chai Tianyou, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and Professor at Northeastern University; Yu Dengyun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Committee of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC); Guo Lei, Academician of the CAS and Professor at Beihang University; Hu Dewen, Academician of the CAS and Professor at the National University of Defense Technology; Marios M. Polycarpou, Academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Professor at the University of Cyprus; and Zhang Dong, Chief Flight Control Engineer at the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute of AVIC.

The GNC Chief Engineer Forum, chaired by Professor Wang Yingxun of Beihang University, featured panelists from leading AVIC institutes and research centers who engaged in in-depth discussions on Human System Integration (HSI) and its application to complex engineering challenges.

The GNC National-level Model Teacher Forum, co-chaired by Professor Zhang Tao of Tsinghua University and Sun Shanlin, President of GUAT, brought together distinguished educators to share innovative pedagogical models and practical reforms in GNC education.

The GNC Young Scientist Forum, chaired by Professor Jiang Bin of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, provided a dynamic platform for emerging researchers to discuss frontier topics and key technologies in the GNC field.

This conference served as a bridge connecting national-level top scientific resources with the regional development of Guangxi. The event fostered international and cross-sector collaboration among industry, academia, research, and application stakeholders, while also advancing the integration of production and education in the GNC field through discussions on innovative talent cultivation models.

Since its inception, the ICGNC has been held for twelve sessions across Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Yantai, Nanjing, Xiamen, Tianjin, Harbin, Changsha, and Guilin. It has grown into the largest academic conference in China dedicated to guidance, navigation, and control for aeronautical, astronautical, maritime, and terrestrial vehicles, with significant international influence.

ICGNC 2028 will be held in Chengdu, Sichuan, from August 11 to 13, 2028, jointly hosted by the AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and Sichuan University.

Editor: Lyu Xingyun