The British Army's sports program will be expanded to include drone racing. In the coming weeks, the Royal Armed Forces Sports Council will officially recognize the British Army Drone Association. This was reported by The Daily Telegraph, according to UNN.
We encourage various sports hobbies. You don't have to play football, rugby or cricket. The more variety, the better. Especially if the servicemen gain skills during the competition that can be used in the army
According to the publication, the World Air Sports Federation (FAI) recognizes activities that include flying drones over a given distance. The British Army plans to introduce this this month.
It is noted that participants in these competitions control drones using a virtual reality headset without GPS or stabilization software installed on conventional drones. Each race involves eight athletes who must complete several laps along a given route faster than their rivals.
Until 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Carl Eze from the Army Reserve studied and built drones. He later founded the British Army's unofficial drone team and took part in the first international military drone racing tournament in Sydney, Australia.
In 2021, Eze proposed a project to the British army that demonstrated the need to train hundreds of FPV drone operators, but it was not appreciated. However, they returned to this idea after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, looking at the success of the Armed Forces in using drones on the battlefield.
As the publication emphasizes, such competitions are popular in the UK and among civilians. In October 2024, drone races took place in London and Colchester. It is expected that the number of such competitions will increase in 2025.