Ukrainian Drone Pilots Compete for the First Time in International Military Tournament in the United Kingdom

The competition takes place September 14–18, 2026, at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (Royal Military Academy Sandhurst) in the United Kingdom.

The Ukrainian team consists of 13 athletes. Among them are four servicemembers of the 153rd Sniper Training Center, as well as FPV pilots of the «GNIZDO» team. Alongside the Ukrainians, representatives of the United Kingdom, the USA, and Australia are also competing.

Ukraine’s participation holds special significance, as MIDRT is an international platform where pilots and teams from different countries meet to compete, exchange experience, and test their skills under real competitive conditions.

A separate part of the event is BATDC — a competition in the tactical use of drones. According to the organizers’ rules, participation in MIDRT UK 2026 is open to active-duty servicemembers of regular armed forces or reserves of their respective countries; only participants in these categories are admitted to BATDC.

The distinctive feature of the Ukrainian team is that a significant part of the pilots’ and operators’ professional skills was formed not only during training and sports competitions, but also in the real conditions of war.

The Ukrainian delegation also included Vitalii Lavrov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and Artur Buligin, President of the Federation of Technological Sports of Ukraine.

«For Ukraine, this trip is one entry of technological sport onto the international level. Ukrainian athletes get the opportunity to compete with the world’s strongest teams, build international connections, and represent the Ukrainian school of drone piloting. And at the same time — to remind the world of Ukraine’s ability to learn quickly, adapt technologies, and turn the experience of war into new professional competencies», — emphasized Vitalii Lavrov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

Before this trip, members of the team underwent training camps in technological sport, which took place in August. Over the course of several days of intensive preparation, the athletes underwent training, practical exercises, and team preparation.

«For us it is important not only to learn how technological sport is developing in other countries, but also to share our own expertise. In Ukraine we have already formed approaches and rules for various disciplines — not only aerial drones, but also ground robotic systems and other technological areas.

We see that Ukrainian experience is already of interest to international partners: British colleges turn to us for expert opinion, and one of our competition formats has already been adopted as a basis in their system. That is why our task is — together with partners — to gradually unify the rules and form international standards for technological sport», — noted the President of FTSU Artur Buligin.

The Ukrainian team’s participation in the international competition was organized by FTSU together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine with the support of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, as well as partners F-Drones and BTN Foundation.

Results of the Ukrainian team’s performance will be published on the official pages of the Federation of Technological Sports of Ukraine.

For reference:
The Federation of Technological Sports of Ukraine (FTSU) — a national platform that develops technological sport — an officially recognized non-Olympic sport in Ukraine, which combines competitions involving the use of unmanned systems, robotic complexes, and cybersecurity technologies.

The main feature of such competitions lies in recreating real scenarios of performing technological tasks in four domains: air, land, water, and cyberspace, for building a personnel reserve of high-tech industries.