Unmanned aerial vehicles are vehicles that can operate without a pilot and can fly automatically, usually by remote control or on a predetermined route. Such vehicles can be used for a variety of purposes, for example military operations such as reconnaissance, surveillance, mapping or air strikes, civilian applications such as aerial photography, agriculture or forest fires. Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are vehicles, usually designed in the shape of an airplane, whose wings remain fixed and stationary during flight. Such UAVs generally offer longer flight times, higher speeds and longer ranges. In addition to reconnaissance and surveillance missions, fixed-wing UAVs are used in a variety of applications such as aerial mapping, meteorology and environmental monitoring.