Ukrainian UAV operator training simulator enters the UK market

British company Skua Defence Limited and Ukrainian developer UFDS EU have announced a strategic partnership. As part of the cooperation, the Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator, a training simulator for unmanned aerial system operators, will be offered to the British Armed Forces and the militaries of allied nations.

Drone Fight Group, which owns UFDS, told Defender Media that its agreement with Skua Defence covers the licensing of UFDS software and the use of the simulator to train British military personnel. The partnership also includes the option to develop customised versions of the software to meet the customer’s requirements.

The partners also plan to deploy autonomous mobile training units (sim pods), which can be used at military bases, training centres, and during field exercises.

“At this stage, we are not disclosing the financial terms. However, this is not a one-off pilot project, but a long-term partnership that may involve further licensing and separate orders,” – says UFDS cofounder Vladyslav Plaksin.

Skua Defence Chief Executive Officer James Westlake said that, until now, the main focus had been on the drones themselves, while the greatest challenge is preparing large numbers of troops for combat in an environment where drones play a decisive role. According to him, modern simulators enable large-scale, realistic, and regular training required to maintain operators’ skills.

Westlake also said that Ukrainian veteran instructors will be involved in training British military personnel. In addition, Skua Defence announced that this is only the first of several upcoming UK–Ukraine defence partnerships.

According to the companies, the UFDS simulator is already in use at training centres across Ukraine. More than 7,000 UAS operators have completed training using the system. The simulator enables training on reconnaissance, strike, bomber, and interceptor drones, including operations in contested environments.

The latest version of the software supports multi-platform operations. This enables personnel to practise coordination between multiple unmanned systems during reconnaissance, target engagement, target handover, and battlefield coordination.