Firm Fast-Tracks Drone Simulator To Train Israeli Soldiers, Civilians

By Sara Miller, NoCamels October 22, 2023 4 minutes

Drone operators from the IDF's Squadron 161 (IDF Spokesperson's Office)

An Israeli company that was working on an AI system to teach people how to operate drones has accelerated the development of its platform and is now using it to help train Israeli soldiers – and civilians – in the use of the unmanned aerial vehicles in wartime.

FlyZone is a subsidiary of Tech 19, a company in the southern city of Yeruham, some 60 km (37 miles) from the Gaza border, that provides a range of technological solutions, including in the fields of drones, satellites and robotics.

The FlyZone simulator trains drone operators in a range of terrains and weather conditions (Courtesy)

The firm was working on the platform to train drone operators when Hamas terrorists from Gaza attacked Israeli communities across the border on October 7, killing at least 1,400 and abducting at least 200 more.

The resulting Israeli military response includes the use of drones, which required hasty training for troops unfamiliar with operating them – and one particular soldier turned to FlyZone for assistance.

“One of our developers is on emergency reserve duty,” the company’s founder and CEO Inbar Cohen tells NoCamels.

“He called me and told me: we have an urgent need to train people on drones, because drones have become a very, very big thing in this war.”

The Israel Defense Forces deploys a range of drones, including the Skylark UAVs, which are used for reconnaissance, and the Hermes series, which are used in active combat.

An IDF soldier with a Skylark drone (Israel Defense Forces)

The military does have systems to train drone operators, Cohen says, but they are housed in the major military bases, such as Tze’elim in the Negev Desert.

There is no formal agreement with the IDF to train drone operators, according to Cohen, who points out it was an ad hoc step as the country moved swiftly to respond to the attacks of two weeks ago.

Anytime, Anywhere

Because the FlyZone platform is software-based, it requires just a basic VR headset and standard remote control in order to train prospective operators. Furthermore, it can be used with a range of drones, in any location, including the staging areas where the Israeli troops are preparing for battle.

“You don’t need to go anywhere; you can [train] from wherever you are,” Cohen says.

“You just need the glasses and a very simple remote control and both are things that you can go and buy relatively easily in a few minutes.”

The FlyZone simulator only requires easily purchases VR goggles and a remote control for the drone (Depositphotos)

The incorporation of artificial intelligence into the platform is what makes FlyZone unique, Cohen says.

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While other drone simulators have a fixed, generic range of levels of difficulty in which to train, the use of AI allows the FlyZone platform to recreate a multitude of environments in order to practice operating the UAVs while facing a variety of challenges.

“The progress is not based on levels, but on what you are doing,” Cohen explains.

If an IDF drone operator needs to work in a dense, urban area, for example, FlyZone can adjust its settings to recreate that environment for training.

Similarly, it can show the trainee a series of topographical settings and even change the time of day and weather to practice in different lighting or wind conditions – both of which have an impact on how a drone flies.

The AI algorithm also lets the platform to collect data on the performance of the trainee, identifying the aspects of drone operation for which more practice is required, allowing them to improve their skills in a more focused and faster way.

“They’re learning very quickly how to operate drones,” Cohen says.

The “priceless” data that FlyZone is gathering will also accelerate the development process, she explains, allowing the company to better match the needs of the system with the needs of the user.

A IDF Hermes drone on takeoff (Nehemia Gershuni-Aylho/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0)

And for now it is not just soldiers who are now benefitting from the platform, Cohen says.

The civil guard units in Israeli communities, which were in almost all cases the first line of defense when Hamas terrorists stormed their towns, kibbutzim and moshavim on October 7, are also training with the FlyZone platform.

These community-based trainee drone operators are not just of military age, she says, but people in their 50s and 60s and even 70s.

“People are actually scanning and making sure that there are no terrorists and that there are no surprises,” Cohen says, referring to the Hamas killers who stormed across the border fence or flew into Israel undetected on motorized paragliders.

“They don’t want to be surprised again.”