FPV drone racing is about to be officially recognized as a sport
5 January 20:40
The British Armed Forces have officially recognized FPV drone racing as a sport. This was reported by Komersant ukrainskyi with reference to The Telegraph.
Although the World Federation of Aviation Sports (FAI) has recognized this sport, which involves flying drones over certain distances at a certain speed, the army has not yet done so.
But this month, the Armed Forces Sports Council will officially recognize the British Army Drone Association, which will be conducting first-person view (FPV) drone racing, as a sport due to its growing popularity in both sports and on the battlefield.
FPV racing is when drones fly around a track using a virtual reality headset without the GPS or stabilization software that is installed on conventional drones.
Eight racers compete at the same time and have to complete a certain number of laps in a certain amount of time. This makes the drones, which can fly at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, more difficult to control but less vulnerable to interference from opponents because they rely on human skill.
The growing popularity of drone racing among the British military is partly due to Lieutenant Colonel Carl Eze, the founder of Point Zenith, a drone technology company.
In 2017, Lt. Col. Eze created the British Army’s unofficial drone racing team after learning how to build drones by watching YouTube videos. The following year, the team took part in the first international military drone racing tournament in Sydney, organized by the Australian Defense Force.
In 2021, the reserve lieutenant colonel presented a project to the British army, emphasizing the need to train hundreds of FPV drone operators, but it was not supported. However, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the latter demonstrated the impact of drones on the battlefield, his project was recognized and used in 2023.
Eze now runs the JHUB Drone Academy, which trains soldiers to fly sophisticated manually operated drones. To date, the academy has trained 100 soldiers, and the number of applicants is constantly growing.
In October 2024, FPV drone races were held in London and Colchester, and more competitions are planned for 2025. Recognizing drone racing as an official army sport will allow servicemen and women to participate during working hours and may help to increase its popularity.
