Russian technology company VRDEV has unveiled MOGSIM, a virtual reality simulator designed to train mobile fire groups to counter unmanned aerial vehicles.
State news agency TASS reported the release on Wednesday, citing the Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies, known as CBST.
Beyond training human gunners, the MOGSIM system produces synthetic data used to train and test software algorithms for automated anti-drone turrets. The organisation said these automated platforms include weapon systems built around the PKM, the modernised Kalashnikov machine gun.
In its baseline package, the complex comprises a virtual reality headset, a laptop computer, specialised software, and a full-scale replica matching the dimensions and weight of a machine gun.
Simulated training and synthetic data
Mobile fire groups, known by the Russian acronym MOG, are rapid-response units deployed to protect infrastructure and military positions from low-flying aerial threats. Operating from trucks and light vehicles, these teams rely on visual tracking, searchlights, and small arms to intercept incoming drones before they can reach designated targets.
Training soldiers to track fast-moving drones through visual sights requires extensive practice. Virtual reality simulators allow personnel to rehearse target acquisition, lead calculation, and weapon handling in a controlled digital space, removing the logistical need for live ammunition or physical target drones.
The generation of synthetic data plays an equally vital role in automated defence systems. By generating digital flight trajectories and simulated engagement scenarios, the platform helps engineers program algorithmic targeting turrets to track and engage threats autonomously without human intervention.
Broader air defence developments
The PKM machine gun referenced in the turret development is a widely fielded, belt-fed general-purpose weapon chambered for 7.62x54mmR ammunition. Adapting standard infantry machine guns into automated turrets has become a common approach to building low-cost air defence barriers against loitering munitions.
The training system arrives amid several technical initiatives intended to bolster mobile counter-drone units. State corporation Rostec previously reported that it had developed a mobile version of the Citadel anti-aircraft artillery complex, designed to provide mobile fire groups with expanded target engagement capabilities.
In October, the Russian Ministry of Defence said that another specialised tool, known as the Sovenok device, was assisting mobile fire crews within the Tsentr troop grouping. The ministry stated that the detector helps field teams locate Ukrainian military drones flying at low altitudes.
