Mixed Multi-Strategy Improved Aquila Optimizer and Its Application in Path Planning

With the growing prevalence of drone technology across various sectors, efficient and safe path planning has emerged as a critical research priority. Traditional Aquila Optimizers, while effective, face limitations such as uneven population initialization, a tendency to get trapped in local optima, and slow convergence rates. This study presents a multi-strategy fusion of the improved Aquila Optimizer, aiming to enhance its performance by integrating diverse optimization techniques, particularly in the context of path planning. Key enhancements include the integration of Bernoulli chaotic mapping to improve initial population diversity, a spiral stepping strategy to boost search precision and diversity, and a “stealing” mechanism from the Dung Beetle Optimization algorithm to enhance global search capabilities and convergence. Additionally, a nonlinear balance factor is employed to dynamically manage the exploration–exploitation trade-off, thereby increasing the optimization of speed and accuracy. The effectiveness of the mixed multi-strategy improved Aquila Optimizer is validated through simulations on benchmark test functions, CEC2017 complex functions, and path planning scenarios. Comparative analysis with seven other optimization algorithms reveals that the proposed method significantly improves both convergence speed and optimization accuracy. These findings highlight the potential of mixed multi-strategy improved Aquila Optimizer in advancing drone path planning performance, offering enhanced safety and efficiency.