British soldiers are racing virtual drones through video game mountains and tracks before taking to the skies for real

The video games played by British soldiers to prepare for drone warfare include levels where they fly along race tracks. Sinéad Baker/Business Insider British Army soldiers are preparing for drone warfare with commercial video games. They fly virtually for at least 30 hours before moving to real drones. The UK and US say simulators save drones, money, and training time. An elite British Army unit is using video games to teach soldiers how to fly drones before they take to the skies for real. Soldiers in the 1st Battalion of the UK's Irish Guards use several publicly available simulators "favored by tactical and hobbyist pilots the world over," Capt. Pickett RM, a company second-in-command in the battalion, told Business Insider. One simulator for beginners includes courses that run along race tracks and through mountains and other environments.