As drone technology becomes the core of modern warfare, Ukrainian drone manufacturer WeTrueGun recently adopted an unexpected approach: converting the well-known open world game “Grand Theft Auto V” (GTA V) into an FPV drone training tool. The system allows operators to connect to real UAV controllers and conduct low-cost, high-efficiency flight and target tracking training in a virtual environment, becoming a key auxiliary means in addition to actual combat training.
Real remote control direct operation, no need to use game controller
According to WeTrueGun released through social platformsVideo display, the technical team successfully embedded the FPV simulation system in the modified version of “GTA V”. Operators no longer use traditional keyboards, mice or gaming controllers, but directly RadioMaster TX16S MKII Wait for the real drone remote control to operate. This approach makes the operating feel almost consistent with the actual flight configuration, rather than just a simple gaming experience.
真是聰明，烏克蘭把 GTA V 魔改成無人機訓練模擬器，接真實遙控器上線練 FPV 追蹤瞄準作戰 pic.twitter.com/GnYzOfRyZy
— 電腦王阿達 (@kocpc) May 17, 2026
RadioMaster TX16S MKII is a very popular open source remote control on the market. It is equipped with a 4-in-1 multi-protocol module and supports multiple communication protocols such as FlySky, FrSky, TBS Crossfire, ELRS (ExpressLRS), etc. It is widely used in the field of FPV flying machines, from racing pilots to military purposes. More importantly, the FPV attack drones currently used extensively by the Ukrainian army on the front line use remote control systems with the same protocol such as ELRS. This means that the muscle memory and operating habits established by operators using the same remote controller in the GTA V simulation environment can be seamlessly transferred to actual combat.
Modify flight physics to approximate real feel
The R&D team stated that they not only applied the flight model of GTA V to the drone, but also deeply modified the flight physics of the game to make the actual operation feel very close to the real flight configuration. GTA V’s original helicopter and aircraft control logic was biased towards the arcade style, but after modification by WeTrueGun, the flight model was recalibrated to the inertia and dynamic characteristics of a multi-rotor drone.
Ukrainian drone operators can practice tracking moving vehicles, aiming at ground or air targets in the game’s huge map, and adjust the specifications of the virtual drone at any time according to needs, including flight speed, flexibility, camera angle, and even the type of payload it carries. GTA V’s open world map covers a variety of terrains such as cities, suburbs, deserts, mountains, and coastlines. Operators can practice how to deal with different tactical scenarios in the same simulated environment.
Why choose GTA V? Environmental richness is key
Why GTA V and not a professional flight simulator like DCS World or Microsoft Flight Simulator? The key is that GTA V’s game map is designed for “chaos and diversity”: high-speed vehicles shuttling in city streets, low-altitude building obstacles, helicopters and aircraft in the airspace, pedestrians and crowds on the ground, and even traffic dynamics on the highway.
The nature of real battlefields is chaotic and unpredictable, while traditional professional drone simulator scenes are often clean and monotonous, lacking random interference elements in civilian environments. GTA V’s dynamic traffic and pedestrian AI, as well as visual conditions that change with the weather, are closer to a real tactical environment than military-standard simulators. This model of “using commercial games for military training” actually has precedents to follow. The US military has long used the “Arma” series for squad-level tactical training, and Ukraine’s practice is to extend this concept to the field of dedicated FPV drone training.
Not Just a Game Mod Ukraine’s Drone Training System
In fact, Ukraine has adopted a multi-pronged strategy for drone training, and WeTrueGun’s GTA V magic modification program is only one part of it. Ukrainian defense company Atmaraksi has launched an anti-drone training system based on VR technology to help soldiers practice shooting down FPV drones with guns and train stance, aiming and reaction time in a safe and controllable realistic environment.
On the other hand, there is already a game on the Steam platform called Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator（UFDS） ’s dedicated FPV drone training game, releasing in December 2025. This simulator is advertised as “developed based on Ukraine’s frontline combat experience” and provides a realistic combat drone flight experience, including challenge mode and multi-player connection functions. The Ukrainian non-profit digital system OCHI has collected more than 2 million hours of battlefield video data from 15,000 frontline drone operators. Founder Alexander Dmitriev bluntly said: “This is food to feed AI. Give it 2 million hours of video, and it will have extraordinary abilities.”
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has publicly solicited AR/VR military training simulation system solutions as early as mid-2024, covering areas such as air defense, first aid and drone operations, and will work with various teams to implement related solutions in the military.
Drones have become the main force on the battlefield, and training speed determines victory or defeat.
According to public information, most of the tasks of destroying targets on the Ukrainian battlefield are currently completed by drones. Internal documents from the Ukrainian government show that the country plans to reach an annual production of 8 million FPV drones by 2026 and spend $22.5 billion to achieve an annual production target of 18 million by 2030. At the same time, the British Ministry of Defense also announced that it will deliver at least 120,000 drones to Ukraine in 2026.
Under such a production capacity and consumption rate, how to quickly train a large number of qualified drone operators has become a key link that directly affects combat effectiveness. WeTrueGun’s GTA V magic modification solution was born under this background. It reduces the training cost to almost zero (GTA V itself only sells for about NT$500 on Steam), but can provide a highly realistic operating experience.
Conclusion
From WeTrueGun’s transformation of GTA V into a training simulator, we can see that the cost of training in modern warfare has dropped from the “defense budget level” that often costs millions of dollars to the “Steam level” that only requires a set of GTA V and a consumer-grade remote control. This low-cost, high-efficiency training model is not only changing the balance of victory and defeat on the Ukrainian battlefield, but also bringing a new direction of thinking to global military training – when the boundaries between the game mod community and the military industry become increasingly blurred, future war games may really have to incorporate drone elements.
Source: KOCPC Chinese