Screenshots by Business Insider/Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army of Venezuela
Venezuela's military academy for army officers promoted a new set of FPV drone simulators this weekend, touting clips of young cadets performing virtual attack maneuvers.
The simulator software bears a striking resemblance to a video game sold online for $3.99.
Dressed up to resemble arcade machines in digital camouflage, each simulation station features a flat screen, a trackball, a joystick, and a remote controller.
The promotional videos, filmed at the country's Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army in Caracas, were released amid soaring US-Venezuela tensions that have sparked fears of open war between the two nations.
"These young people who are here are ready to destroy the enemy," General Johan Hernández Láre, the Venezuelan army's commanding general, says in Spanish during one clip published on Friday.
The camera pans to show several uniformed personnel standing to attention, before one cadet volunteers to demonstrate a simulator.
An operator helps him fire up the screen, which appears to show a level-select menu.
Screenshot/Official Channel of the Bolivarian Army of Venezuela
The menu resembles that of "FPV Kamikaze Drone," a video game developed by the Russian firm HFM Games. Copies are sold on the online marketplace platform Steam for $3.99.
Business Insider Screenshot/FPV Kamikaze Drone
The similarities continue once the virtual mission loads. The cadet is seen flying his virtual FPV drone toward a target at a building complex.
Screenshots/Official Channel of the Bolivarian Army of Venezuela
The user interface elements, engine physics, computer graphics, and the visual appearance of the payload on the virtual drone match those found on "FPV Kamikaze Drone."
Business Insider Screenshot/FPV Kamikaze Drone
The simulators were again promoted on Saturday by the Venezuelan academy's social media page.
"The Bolivarian Army Military Academy receives FPV drone simulators thanks to the joint effort and support of our Bolivarian National Armed Forces," a presenter for the academy said in a selfie video.
The promotional clip showed a row of simulators in a corridor, with cadets in dress uniforms operating the machines.
"FPV" stands for first-person-view, or the category of inexpensive hobby drones that have become a staple in the Ukraine war.
Years of constant use and a largely stagnant frontline have turned the FPV drone into one of the conflict's deadliest weapons, prompting militaries around the world to expand their light drone arsenals and beef up training to pilot and counter them.
To that end, dozens of software developers have since released video games and programs that aim to simulate flying FPV drones in combat. Some developers even virtually recreate real scenarios described by frontline pilots.
Screenshot/Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army
It's not unusual for troops to learn with virtual drone programs. The US Army has designed its own computer programs, such as the Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course, to train soldiers on how to operate small drones using just a controller and a computer.
But training rarely stops at just the simulator. Aspiring drone pilots in Ukraine, for example, often must test their skills on a live range before they're trusted to perform on the battlefield.
"FPV Kamikaze Drone" appears to simulate battlefield conditions in Ukraine or western Russia, featuring mostly open terrain with patches of forest, small towns, and isolated buildings.
It's unclear how effectively its virtual missions can be applied to the diverse terrain in Venezuela, which includes rainforests, highlands, and mountain ranges.
HFM Games, the developer of the drone game, did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider. The Venezuelan Defense Ministry did not respond to a similar request sent to a contact email address on its website.
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