Counter-drone training with rifles: Ukrainian VR simulator by Atmaraksi trains against FPV drones

Atmaraksi, a company from Ukraine, has developed an innovative virtual reality simulator for counter-drone defence: soldiers use it to train shooting down first-person view (FPV) drones with rifles.

Users of the VR simulator find themselves in realistic combat situations, where they practise intercepting incoming drones under stress. The aim is to build muscle memory, an internalised correct shooting stance and the ability to stay in control even under pressure. A recent report on Militarnyi calls these “critical skills in counter-drone combat”.

According to the development team, the training also boosts soldiers' self-confidence: so-called “Victory Patterns” are ingrained – patterns of success that recur when dealing with threats and remain unconsciously retrievable.

Counter-drone defence modelled on the front line

The simulated scenarios were largely designed by former frontline soldiers who know FPV drones from their own experience. The virtual drones attack from changing directions and at varying speeds, so as to reproduce the current threat spectrum as realistically as possible.

Instructors can configure the software flexibly – difficulty level, target indicators and options for pre-emptive fire can be set individually. According to the manufacturer, those who have completed several thousand training scenarios react almost reflexively to imminent attacks, with a measurable effect on combat performance. The simulator is suitable for recruits as well as experienced soldiers who want to expand their counter-drone skills in a targeted way.

A whole range of VR-based training platforms has emerged in Ukraine in response to the increasing use of FPV drones in the war; Atmaraksi's system is one of them. Only recently, for example, volunteers donated Chaika-M simulators to units of the 5th Border Brigade to support similar training.