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Analysis of institutional authors

Jurado, Raquel Delgado-AguileraCorresponding AuthorZamarren, MariaAuthorMoreno, Francisco PérezAuthorArnaldo, César GómezAuthorValdes, Rosa Maria ArnaldoAuthor

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January 1, 2026
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Article
Hybrid Gold

AI-Driven Real-Time Interference Detection in Manned-Unmanned Aircraft Communications: Concept of Operations and Integration

Publicated to: AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. 168 110722- - 2026-01-01, DOI: 10.1016/j.ast.2025.110722

Authors:

Jurado, Raquel Delgado-Aguilera; Reina, Byron John Vera; Zamarren, Maria; Moreno, Francisco Perez; Arnaldo, Cesar Gomez; Valdes, Rosa Maria Arnaldo
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Affiliations

Univ Politecn Madrid, Dept Aerosp Syst Air Transport & Airports, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author

Abstract

Future combat air systems will rely on coordinated missions involving manned aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). A key challenge in such Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) operations is maintaining robust, real-time communication links, which are inherently vulnerable to radio interference and cyber threats. This paper presents a Concept of Operations (ConOps) for an AI-powered system-IDD-AI (Interference Detection and Direction AI)-designed to monitor the air-to-air communication link and detect anomalies, particularly jamming, in real time. IDD-AI uses a deep learning model to identify the presence of interference, classify its type, and estimate its direction of arrival. We detail the operational scenarios that benefit from UAV teaming, the selected communication architecture between platforms, the threat model focused on intentional jamming, and the design of the AI module, including data and model requirements. These elements are integrated into a comprehensive ConOps that explains how the system operates during missions, delivering timely alerts to the pilot and supporting immediate mitigation actions. The proposed approach builds on prior work showing that convolutional neural networks (e.g., EfficientNet-B0) can achieve approximately 99% accuracy in detecting jamming and reliably classify interference types, while providing partial directional awareness. The ConOps further addresses system integration aspects-such as the use of Software Defined Radio (SDR) for signal acquisition-and human factors like cockpit alerting, ensuring operational suitability. Our findings suggest that real-time AI-driven interference monitoring can significantly enhance the resilience and safety of MUM-T operations, and we outline a feasible path toward standardization and certification of such systems.
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Keywords

Anomaly detectionConopsDeep learningJamming detectionManned-unmanned teamingReal-time aiUav communications

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2026, it was in position 7/59, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Engineering, Aerospace.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-11-12:

  • WoS: 3
  • Scopus: 5
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-11-12:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 29 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

    • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
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    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (DELGADO-AGUILERA JURADO, RAQUEL) and Last Author (ARNALDO VALDES, ROSA MARIA).

    the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been DELGADO-AGUILERA JURADO, RAQUEL.

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