Ukrainian drone pilots are using a GTA V mod to train Shahed interception skills

Ukrainian drone operators are training interception skills via a GTA V mod. The mod aims to simulate the drone operation skills pilots need to intercept Shahed drones deep striking into Ukrainian territory.

According to Ukrainian media outlet RBC Ukraine, the project was developed and launched by Ukrainian drone training centre WeTrueGun, which integrated Shahed interception missions into a specially adapted server built on GTA V Legacy and running through the FiveM multiplayer framework, the same platform that powers the GTA roleplay communities that have become some of the most-watched content on Twitch.

How a GTA V is training Ukrainian Drone Operators

The server places operators into Los Santos, serving as a large landmass to defend. The mod enables operators to detect aerial targets, pursue hostile objects across extended distances, simulate direct FPV drone impacts, and practice interception tactics in urban terrain. The focus is on reaction speed and target lock-on skills while in flight, covering areas and defending airspaces that drone operators will need to manage on real interception missions.

It is not a replacement for professional military simulation equipment. WeTrueGun was clear on that point, stating that actual interceptor crew preparation uses dedicated military simulators such as Obriy. The GTA V project sits alongside those systems rather than substituting for them, in the same way simulation rigs get operators accustomed to the feel and perspective of the real thing.

According to the report, the centre identified four specific purposes for the mod:

1. Psychological decompression for experienced pilots after demanding operational shifts
2. Maintaining active FPV piloting skills between missions
3. Enabling experimentation and practice without the risk of losing expensive hardware
4. Providing a form of entertainment that keeps pilots engaged with the skillset they rely on

The mod is one piece of a broader training ecosystem WeTrueGun is running. The centre trains new UAV operators who intend to serve in Ukraine’s armed forces, with all training provided free of charge to future contract soldiers.

It sits alongside several other creative applications of consumer technology in Ukraine’s defence effort. Ukrainian border guards are currently operating a modernised mobile air defence system controlled via a standard gaming joystick. Ukraine also has a gamified drone scoring system, which allows units to claim points for their drone missions, incapacitating enemy combatants, units, equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure among other reward factors.

It comes as Ukraine’s defensive tactics have shifted toward greater drone operations, protecting its service personnel on ground operations with expendable, low-cost hardware. Ukraine has deployed this tactic to effect, with recent military reports claiming it has operational control over Russia’s land corridor connecting Crimea through the enemy-controlled territories of Kherson south, Zaporizhzhia, and surrounding areas. More experienced drone pilots are crucial to Ukrainian successes, whether training for deep strike missions or interception operations.

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