ITEC: Veteran Warns NATO to Urgently Scale Drone Training

An American-Ukrainian combat veteran representing the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry is urging NATO forces to train their troops with drones, describing the technology as the “revolution” of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Myroslav “Miro” Popovych, who has served both in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and on the front lines in Ukraine, delivered a stark assessment while speaking at ITEC, Europe’s leading event for defence training and simulation.

Drawing directly on his experience conducting more than 250 combat drone missions, Popovych said unmanned systems have fundamentally reshaped warfare, both tactically and strategically.

“Seventy percent of all of our kills and targets destroyed are done exclusively by FPV drones,” he said, highlighting the dominance of low-cost, highly adaptable systems on today’s battlefield.

The impact has been so significant that traditional systems are being sidelined.

“Artillery is almost non-existent,” he added, explaining that artillery units must operate within what he described as a vast “kill zone,” where they are highly vulnerable to detection and rapid drone strikes once a shot from the unit is fired.

A New Training Imperative

Popovych’s core message to NATO was clear: drone training must begin now, and it must be widespread.

He outlined how Ukraine trains its drone operators, noting that new teams must first be removed from the front line and placed into dedicated training environments.

“When you're teaching a new drone team that haven't done it before, you have to take them off the front line, you have to put them in the centres.

“But the great thing in that challenge—and why I want our partners, the UK and NATO, to start teaching their troops to use drones now—is that once you learn, it accelerates.”

Initial training for fixed-wing drone teams typically takes between four and eight weeks. However, once operators understand the fundamentals, transitioning to new systems becomes dramatically faster.

“You teach a team how to use a fixed-wing drone in four to eight weeks. Then some time passes and they have to learn a new drone and it’s much quicker. In two or three days they can learn a new drone, because it’s all aerodynamics.

“Aerodynamics works the same for the drone as for the jet.”

From Specialist Skill to Universal Capability

Another key takeaway from Popovych’s remarks was the extent to which drone operations have become embedded across Ukrainian forces.

What was once a niche capability is now nearly universal. Infantry units, he noted, are increasingly expected to operate drones as part of standard combat practice, reflecting the scale at which unmanned systems are now deployed.

This shift is being driven not only by effectiveness, but by necessity. With both sides heavily reliant on drones for reconnaissance and strike missions, survivability and mission success increasingly depend on drone proficiency.

Industry-Led Training Model

A notable aspect of Ukraine’s approach is the role of industry in training. Rather than relying solely on military institutions, drone manufacturers are often responsible for instructing the teams that operate their systems.

This reflects the diversity and rapid evolution of drone technologies, particularly in areas such as ISR and fixed-wing platforms, where software and operational concepts can vary significantly between systems.

For NATO, this model points toward a  necessary shift in training responsibility: an integrated relationship between defence forces and industry, particularly in high-growth, fast-moving domains like UAS, must exist.

A Changing Battlespace

Popovych also described how drones have redefined the geometry of the battlefield. The traditional concept of a front line has given way to a broad, contested “kill zone.”

Within this space, visibility is risk. Detection by enemy drones can quickly lead to targeting and destruction, compressing decision timelines and forcing new approaches to movement, concealment and engagement.

The result is a battlespace where legacy doctrine is struggling to keep pace, and where adaptability is paramount.