Turning Virtual Errors into Ukraine’s Battlefield Advantage: Drone Simulator Obriy

Gamification of War

Mar 28, 2026

In discussions on training drone pilots, the role of simulators often remains understated. In reality, the simulators are used not only at the beginning of the learning curve but continuously, even after deployment to the front line. Basic drone piloting can be learned even on civilian simulators, but this is not enough.

Some modern platforms, such as Obriy by Twist Robotics, allow users to upload real-world terrain and recreate it in detail, including objects, vegetation, buildings, and even elevation changes. This enables pilots to prepare for specific areas where they will be deployed—understanding where the front line is, where targets are located, and how to plan routes accordingly.

I first learned about Obriy from a drone pilot in one of Ukraine’s elite units, and I could not let this topic pass me by.

This article is based on interviews with Twist Robotics and Ukrainian military personnel.

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Drone Simulators: Civilian and Military Applications

Drone simulators are actively used in Ukraine by training centers and in the Armed Forces. They are also widely available to civilians willing to develop drone piloting skills.

Serhii Tkachuk, founder and instructor of the “Free Sky Ukraine” children’s center, said in an interview with Tyzhden that drone piloting can be effectively learned through simulators. These tools allow operators to master up to 90% of what a drone can do. Most importantly, simulators help develop muscle memory and train the coordination between vision, hand movements, and cognitive processing.

There is a wide range of civilian simulators available, with some of the most popular including FPV Freerider, Drone Champions League Simulator (DCL), Liftoff, and Uncrashed. Each of them offers distinct features and helps develop different skill sets.

Training in simulators begins with basic modes and progressively advances to more complex scenarios. This structured approach enables pilots to build confidence and technical proficiency over time, including for those with slower reaction speeds.

Learning to fly a drone can be done independently with minimal financial investment. A user can simply download a simulator and begin training—some even offer free demo versions, such as FPV Freerider. At the early stages, there is no need to invest in dedicated hardware, as basic control can be performed via a touchscreen smartphone. In fact, this is how many operators begin—only transitioning to a controller and an actual drone later on.

Experts do not recommend immediately purchasing a drone and attempting to fly it: “Most likely, you’ll just crash it—and be lucky if no one gets injured. A better approach is to start by buying a controller, downloading a simulator, and logging at least 30 hours of training. It’s crucial that these hours are spread over multiple days—40 hours over 20 days and 40 hours over 4 days will produce very different results, as key neural connections form during sleep”.

There is a common perception that flying a real drone is easier than using a simulator. “In practice, this is largely because simulator training builds foundational skills that are later applied almost intuitively in real-world flight. Operators rely on these acquired reflexes without consciously thinking about them,” Serhiy shared.

Those with prior experience in video games—particularly strategy games such as World of Tanks—often acquire drone piloting skills more quickly, as they are already accustomed to spatial awareness, coordination, and real-time decision-making.

In practice, individual FPV piloting skills—such as completing courses—represent only part of what a drone operator needs to master. Equally important are:

understanding the drone’s components and modules;
knowing why specific issues or flight behaviors occur;
being able to diagnose battery-related problems;
maintaining situational awareness and navigating terrain during flight;
understanding radio systems and signal management;
operating the ground control station.

It is important to highlight that Russia is also increasingly investing in training its unmanned forces personnel, as well as civilians, including children, in drone technologies, with simulators playing a significant role.

DOXA analyzed Russia’s public procurement database and found that in 2024, schools and supplementary education institutions spent nearly 540 million rubles (approximately $6 mln) on training in drone operation and construction. In total, educational institutions across 39 regions of Russia were involved in these procurements.

In 2024, Russian schools were procuring simulators that replicate drone flights with combat missions and the capability to drop explosives, FPV drones, and UAV production labs.

Among the requirements for simulators, a St. Petersburg children’s supplementary education center, “Center for Physical Culture and Health,” specified the inclusion of missions involving the destruction of CAESAR systems and Leopard tanks. Similarly, requirements for a simulator in a school in the Kronstadt district included a setting in which the operator could “carry out combat tasks by locating and destroying equipment hidden in the least noticeable areas.”

Previously, I highlighted the importance of civilian simulators for drone pilot training in both Ukraine and Russia in my presentation for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.

Most civilian simulators focus primarily on replicating the flight of an aircraft—its aerodynamics, in-flight behavior, and basic control scenarios.

Military training platforms also simulate the physics of drone flight, but treat it as just one component of a broader mission-level model. They integrate multiple layers of simulation, including the behavior of different UAV types, environmental conditions, and mission execution logic.

Users often operate within precise digital replicas of real-world frontline sectors, allowing them to plan missions while accounting for terrain, communication conditions, signal shadowing, and the impact of electronic warfare—constraints that ultimately determine mission success in real-world operations.

Obriy Drone Training Platform

The focus of this article is a military simulator, Obriy, developed by the Ukrainian company Twist Robotics. The company specializes in the development of unmanned aerial systems, including AI-assisted visual navigation, FPV reconnaissance and strike drones, and GPS-resilient flight control systems. It also develops training and simulation tools for drone pilots and designs platforms capable of operating in environments with electronic warfare.

Obriy is a professional tactical training platform for unmanned systems pilots, designed to replicate battlefield conditions as closely as possible. It serves as a mission planning and crew coordination tool, enabling operators to practice strike and reconnaissance tactics.

Users have access to over 50,000 km² of real frontline terrain, reconstructed using satellite data. Obriy covers the entire line of contact across Ukraine. The platform’s map is structured into 35×35 km sectors, forming continuous coverage along the frontline.

The simulator models terrain features, communication conditions, the impact of electronic warfare, and other factors that shape real-world missions. This allows training to take place in an environment that closely mirrors actual operational conditions.

Obriy was developed based on practical experience gained from UAV deployment during the full-scale war. As unmanned technologies evolved and the operational environment became more complex, the need emerged for a tool that integrates pilot and team training with mission planning in a real combat context. Missions within the platform are based on current military tasks and are designed to closely reflect real operations.

Terrain data is updated with each simulator release. Following synchronization with open-source analytical data on frontline changes—particularly from DeepState—new configurations of the battlefield are integrated into Obriy.

In addition to baseline frontline coverage, the simulator allows for the creation of custom locations tailored to the needs of specific units or partners, with varying levels of depth and detail.

“The platform evolves through direct engagement with military personnel and unmanned systems developers. User requests for new scenarios, types of equipment, or countermeasure models are integrated into subsequent versions of the platform. In this way, Ukrainian combat experience does not remain confined to individual units—it is formalized and embedded into the broader training system,” shared Twist Robotics with Ukraine’s Arms Monitor.

Today, Obriy is used by more than 50 training centers and over 150 combat units and educational initiatives in Ukraine. Ukrainian military personnel are granted free access to the platform.

The simulator is not distributed to civilian users and may not be shared with third parties. A single license allows Obriy to be installed on only one computer.

What Types of Missions are Supported by Obriy

For UAV operators, Obriy provides the ability to refine both technical skills and tactical employment, rehearse missions, prepare for operations in electronic warfare (EW) environments, and practice complex routes prior to real deployment—without risking equipment.

For training centers, Obriy serves as a tool for standardizing instruction, conducting safe training, and improving crew coordination.

For developers of unmanned systems, Obriy functions as a high-precision virtual R&D testing ground, significantly accelerating the development and validation of new technologies. Its Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) capability enables the integration of real controller firmware (such as Betaflight and ArduPilot) and the testing of experimental navigation algorithms in near-realistic conditions.

The platform supports a wide range of combat scenarios involving different types of UAVs. These include FPV drones, bombers, strike platforms for ground targets, as well as interceptor drones and aircraft—each with its own control logic and operational use.

The simulation environment can incorporate broader battlefield elements, including infantry, armored vehicles, artillery, and other forces. This enables users to train a wide spectrum of tactical applications—from intercepting aerial threats to protecting critical infrastructure and holding operational sectors.

The promotional video for Obriy was released in May 2025.

How Does Obriy Account for the Impact of Enemy EW?

In Obriy, the impact of electronic warfare is modeled as an integral part of the operational environment. The platform takes into account terrain, the radio horizon, communication conditions, and the positioning of EW systems.

The simulator includes different types of EW systems—stationary complexes, trench-based systems for position protection, dome-type systems mounted on vehicles, and mobile solutions. When a drone or ground control station enters its area of effect, the simulator reproduces various signal degradation scenarios, including GPS denial, partial or complete loss of control links, and disruption of video transmission.

This allows operators to train both drone behavior and their own responses in conditions of degraded or lost communication—before facing them in real missions.

Obriy Anti-Shahed

Since interceptor drones have become one of the most effective tools against Russian Shahed-type drones, a new version of the simulator—Obriy Anti-Shahed—was released in mid-March 2026. It enables operators to train for intercepting Shahed-type drones and prepares them to operate against such aerial threats.

Militarnyi reported that work on this platform began in summer 2024, and throughout 2025, the system was successfully scaled across short-range air defence units.

The new version introduces a radar module that simulates the operation of radar systems at distances up to 25 km. The software replicates the full air defence cycle—from detecting and tracking aerial targets on a tactical map to decision-making about engagement.

The platform also includes models of modern interceptor systems used by short-range air defence units. In particular, users can train with platforms such as OCTOPUS and Sting, practicing their employment in aerial interception scenarios.

End-User Feedback

A Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman, Stanislav, shared the following overview of Obriy on his TikTok in 2024:

“You can select the type of drone, adjust its settings, calibrate the controller, and configure the graphics. But what’s most interesting is something else—these are real maps of active combat areas. On these maps, you can define the takeoff point, set up relay systems, and mark where the enemy is, including their EW positions.
It’s convenient because you are flying over the same terrain where you actually operate. The maps are based on Google Maps, and if you set the graphics to maximum, you get full 3D environments—with trees, buildings, everything. Access to the platform is restricted: active-duty servicemen can request access by submitting an official letter from their military unit.”

A drone pilot from one of Ukraine’s elite units, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Obriy as one of the most effective training tools because it covers the full cycle of both pilot and navigator preparation. He learned about this platform from more experienced operators.

“We can study road patterns, navigate in difficult conditions—fog, rain, smoke—and, most importantly, train as a team. The pilot, navigator, and sapper work together, making decisions under limited visibility and constant interference. That’s what makes the training feel close to real combat,” he said.

A Ukrainian serviceman described the difference between the roles of a drone pilot and a navigator. The pilot is focused entirely on flying—often in FPV goggles—while the navigator works with the map, analyzes terrain, and guides the pilot to the target coordinates. If one person tries to do both, it quickly becomes cognitive overload—we call it a ‘fire in the helmet.’

“When we arrive in a new area, I use Obriy whenever I have a free moment to study the terrain and understand where and how I will fly,” he added.

As the frontline evolves, the Obriy team rapidly updates the maps to ensure the simulator reflects current operational realities.

Similar work has also been conducted in Russia. There are specialized simulators often developed in cooperation with major defence manufacturers such as Kalashnikov Concern and Almaz-Antey. In 2024, Kalashnikov Concern informed that the developers of the Skat 350M reconnaissance UAV have released a simulator for training drone operators.

In November 2025, a St. Petersburg-based company, Ninsar, developed “the first drone kinetic interception simulator in Russia”. The new Anti-UAV mode has been integrated into the existing Kvadrosim training platform.

According to the media, the product has already been incorporated into training programs at the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy and is actively used at a new UAV training center in Tuapse to prepare operators responsible for securing coastal infrastructure.

Systematic preparation for combat and the integration of battlefield experience are key to enabling armed forces to succeed in war. While many of these developments in the preparatory phase remain largely unnoticed by wider audiences, they should not be underestimated.

The example of Twist Robotics and its Obriy platform illustrates how private initiatives, driven by small, dedicated teams, can become instrumental in war.

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