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Ukraine's Defense Ministry uses GTA V to train drone operators
Ukraine's Defense Ministry uses GTA V to train drone operatorsshort by Medhaa Gupta / 05:42 pm on Friday, 1 May, 2026Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has shared a video showing First-Person View (FPV) drone training operators training their skills by playing Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V. The ministry added that a real drone controller can be connected to the game. "It is noted that this isn't a replacement for real training, but a great way to relax," the ministry stated,
Ukraine says it's training drone pilots in 'Grand Theft Auto V'
By Chris Panella You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email. Gamers have a lot of applicable skills for piloting drones, including hand-eye coordination and familiarity with controllers and screens. NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images 2026-05-03T08:34:01.292Z Ukraine shared a video of drone pilots training with "Grand Theft Auto V." The experience doesn't replace real training, but is a good way to relax, officials said. Gamers have skills that make them ideal candidates for being drone pilots. When they're not flying real first-person-view drones, some Ukrainian pilots are training inside "Grand Theft Auto V." Ukraine has often leveraged video games and simulators to train pilots, helping them build the hand-eye coordination needed for flying FPV drones. The crossover of skillsets has even made gamers ideal candidates for drone pilot jobs. See, mom? Playing video games isn't a waste of time.Ukraine's defense ministry shared a post showing off training, asking, "Are there any GTA fans here?" Yes, many, but they're trying to figure out if their gaming PC is going to be able to run "Grand Theft Auto VI."The video shows a pilot flying inside GTA 5 using a drone controller, flying a bomb into vehicles driving on the highway. "It is noted that this is not a replacement for real training, but a great way to relax," Ukraine's defense ministry said in the video.Ukraine's new pilots go through training at drone schools across the country, learning the ropes in what's become a pivotal role in the war: flying drones that scout Russian positions and movements, strike targets, and blow up tanks and troops. School leaders recently told Business Insider that the best and brightest students are ones with gaming experience. They've played video games for years, are familiar with controllers and joysticks, and have the hand-eye coordination to match their movements and orientation with what they're seeing on the screen or in goggles.The benefits of enlisting younger gamers as drone pilots has been noted by Ukraine's drone units as well. In the military's special drone unit, Typhoon, operators are already familiar with equipment like headsets, goggles, and controllers. Gaming has given them better decision-making skills and fast reflexes.There's even a video game, "Death From Above," that puts players in the position of a Ukrainian FPV drone pilot, prompting the user to fly through the battlefield, find and target...
Ukrainian Military Uses GTA V as an FPV Drone Training Simulator
One of the most popular video games that has ever been created is now being used by the Ukrainian army for training the future generations of drone pilots in an innovative way. As per some recent sources, Grand Theft Auto V has now been turned into an extremely useful FPV drone simulator by Ukrainian military officials.
Ukrainian developers have overcome the simulator for FPV drones in GTA V
The Vitrugan Military Drone Operator Training Center, which also develops UAV, EOD, and EW systems, has integrated an FPV simulator into the Grand Theft Auto V game. This solution allows pilots to train and relax in the open world of the game and supports professional remote controls.
