A Hybrid Cognitive Radio and Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Framework for Jamming Resilience in Integrated FANET–IoT–IoV Systems

Flying Ad-Hoc Networks (FANETs), Internet of Things (IoT), and Internet of Vehicles (IoV) are critical enablers of intelligent transportation and smart city ecosystems. Their reliance on shared wireless channels, however, exposes them to diverse jamming attacks that threaten communication reliability, mission effectiveness, and safety. This paper presents a comprehensive study of jamming threats in integrated FANET–IoT–IoV environments and analyzes conventional and advanced anti-jamming techniques across physical, link/MAC, spectral, spatial, temporal, and hybrid domains. To address the challenges posed by heterogeneous and dynamic network conditions, we propose a cross-layer anti-jamming framework that integrates Cognitive Radio (CR) for dynamic spectrum access and Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) for cooperative, adaptive decision-making. The framework employs a Perception Engine for local anomaly detection, a Cognitive Engine for constructing a collaborative jamming map, and a Decision and Action Engine for multi-agent DRL-based mitigation. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed CR-MARL framework significantly improves packet delivery ratio, reduces latency, and adapts efficiently to varying jamming strategies, while maintaining low energy and computational overhead, making it suitable for resource-constrained UAVs, vehicles, and IoT sensors.