British soldiers trained to fight with FPV drones

British Army soldiers are learning to use First Person View (FPV) drones for strike missions following intensive training at the Bramley ranges in Hampshire, the Army confirmed.

The three-week course, held between 7 and 25 July, introduced troops to One Way Attack (OWA) operations, where drones carrying small explosive charges are flown directly at targets. The training combined classroom lessons, simulator hours and live field exercises, with soldiers learning to integrate strike drones alongside reconnaissance systems while countering enemy drones and electronic warfare.

The programme was led by 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Platoon, the first of its kind in the British Army. Colour Sergeant Danny Wade, who commanded the training, said: “We’re teaching soldiers from the ground up how to configure and fly FPV UAS and then how to fight with them, working as a team alongside reconnaissance drones to find and strike targets. It’s very different training and FPV flying is a hard skill to learn, but everyone has put the effort in and progressed well.”

FPV drones, widely used by Ukraine in its defence against Russia, offer low-cost precision. Equipped with virtual reality headsets, operators can manoeuvre the drones through narrow openings, striking armoured vehicles or fortified positions from unexpected angles.

Participants described the challenge of adapting to the new role. Kingsman Kaidyn Hilton, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, said: “FPV drones are hard to fly, because you are fully in control of it, whereas a normal drone is basically on autopilot and you’re directing it where to go. There’s a dose of adrenaline, because you know you’ve got control of a weapon that can hit bigger targets more quickly than the infantry used to be able to do. This is where warfare is going, and it is interesting to be part of it.”

According to the Army, entry requirements for the course included 30 simulator hours, with soldiers logging an additional 100 hours during training. Accuracy, rather than speed, was emphasised to ensure maximum damage to specific points on a target.

2 PARA’s UAS Platoon, formed in late 2024, has been testing FPV drones in both friendly and opposing roles during exercises. CSgt Wade noted that the work was breaking new ground for the Army. “This is an entirely new class of weapon and, as yet, there’s no formal Army doctrine on OWA. It’s been a steep learning curve for us with a lot of trial and error. There’s so much to think about, from logistics to command and control, and how we co-ordinate UAS with artillery and air support.”

Reflecting on the rapid shift, he added: “When I joined up, drones were a niche capability somewhere in the artillery world, and I would never have thought that in my career I would be training infantry soldiers as pilots. At first, there wasn’t much enthusiasm for UAS, because the culture was that paratroopers are about kicking down doors and clearing trenches. But there’s been a real shift, because everyone can see what’s happening with UAS in Ukraine and that they are going to feature massively on future battlefields.”