Esports have reached military drones and eDrone racing

5 May 2026

One of the many interesting developments in the world of esports in the UK and the rest of the world over the past few years is the increasing overlap between esports and the military. Back in 2024, for example, Activision signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant through their own “Call of Duty Endowment”. This led to a major uptick in gaming amongst UK Armed Forces members, while it also helps them to train essential real-life skills like communication and teamwork.

And now, a new dimension has just been added to the growing interconnection between esports and the military. Recently, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT) launched a brand-new eDrone racing competition, called “Road to RIAT”. That’s right, a UK esports competition revolving entirely around drone racing, in collaboration with DXC Technology and the British Esports Federation (BEF).

Students and cadets

According to the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, the Road to RIAT was created in order to inspire the next generation of aircraft pilots. The event consists of races on six different tracks, taking place between April 20th and June 14th. RAF Air Cadets ae all eligible to compete, as are Year 5-6 students from UK State Schools in England and Wales, P6-P7 students in Scotland and Year 6-7 students in Northern Ireland.

“Through the combination of esports, eDrone racing and education, British Esports are proud to announce Race to RIAT in partnership with the RAF Charitable Trust and DXC Technologies”, says Kalam Neale, Head of Education at the BEF, “Race to RIAT presents an opportunity for school pupils and cadets to engage in their passion, compete and develop key transferable skills that will support their future career aspirations and open up a whole new world of opportunities in STEM, digital and aviation industries connecting the next generation of talent with the jobs of the future.”

Drone racing in esports

While eDrone racing competition are few and far between at the moment of writing, it is worth wondering why that is. It seems, after all, that drone control and navigation is something that can have considerable overlap with esports, also in terms of developing and improving real-life skills. The parties involved hope that, besides the entertainment and training factors, the Road to RIAT event will also inspire more young people to consider career pathways in directions like engineering, science and of course, the Royal Air Force.

“We’re proud to launch Race to RIAT, a new FPV simulator racing competition which brings STEM learning and aviation awareness directly into classrooms and Air Cadet units”, says Hannah Langford, Head of Charity Development at the RAFCT, “By giving teenagers the chance to design, fly, and race drones, we’re helping young people develop technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and the confidence to pursue future pathways in engineering, technology and aviation. With the support of DXC Technology, this initiative demonstrates how innovative learning experiences can spark ambition and open doors, showing young people that the future of flight and technology is something they can be part of today.”