Military simulator Steel Beasts localised for Ukraine – National Guard is the first to adopt it

The National Guard of Ukraine has begun using the Steel Beasts simulation platform, developed for the professional training of military personnel. The launch was announced by Oleksii Lytvynenko, the initiator of the platform’s implementation in Ukraine and the key figure involved in its localisation.

The Steel Beasts Pro system, developed by the American-German company eSim Games, resembles a computer game but was designed specifically for military training. Its primary purpose is to practise operations at various levels — from the crew of a combat vehicle to brigade command — with particular emphasis on tactical coordination and the use of modern armoured vehicles.

Lytvynenko reports that he worked on the Ukrainian localisation and launch of the project in cooperation with the National Guard for more than two years. During that time, with the support of the Boryviter military school, more than 20 training courses were held, over 20 units were trained, and more than 600 trial licences were issued to specialised educational institutions, training centres, and military units.

He also notes that, despite a lack of systemic support and numerous bureaucratic obstacles from the state, the National Guard succeeded in reaching a direct agreement with the simulator’s developers to gain full access to the programme.

A key feature of the simulator is its high degree of realism. It models vehicle physics, ballistics, terrain features, weather conditions, combat scenarios, engineering operations, logistics, and even the dispersion of shrapnel after explosions. Users can place individual mines and simulate complex combat situations with exceptional precision.

Another major advantage of Steel Beasts is the ability to conduct full-scale training without deploying equipment to training grounds or involving hundreds of personnel. This approach optimises training and enables effective simulation of battlefield scenarios under modern warfare conditions.

For training purposes, Steel Beasts Pro is used by the armed forces of Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, the United States, and several other countries. Each country uses a customised version of the programme, featuring local terrain maps and language settings to support equipment-specific training.