Ukrainian app Drill trains shooting. How it works

Drill is a military-tech application created by Ukrainians, which aims to teach everyone to shoot with different types of weapons and train this skill to a high level. The developers are positioning the application as a personal shooting instructor in a smartphone.

Drill is available on the App Store and Google Play and is free for Ukrainians.

The program is designed for military personnel who need to continue training in any conditions and at any time and for civilian Ukrainians who would like to gain knowledge about the use of weapons and who lack the time or opportunity to visit gun clubs.

Ukrainian and international experts — military, athletes, and representatives of security organizations — were involved in the creation and testing of Drill. All exercises were developed on the basis of many years of experts’ experience who have participated in real combat operations and sport shooting competitions.

The app currently has two introductory courses with virtual handgun and carbine training (AR15/AK74):

• Basic Dry Carbine, a training course for gaining and developing entry-level carbine skills;
• Basic Dry Handgun, a course for users who want to have “dry” handgun practice as their primary one for the purpose of gaining and developing basic skills.

There are also 17 gun handling exercise programs of various complexity: from beginner level to self-defense in conditions of limited visibility. All of them are formed into seven lessons suitable for training professional military, athletes, and civilians.

App users can also create their own training plans, lessons, or courses to meet their personal goals. They can also track progress and receive feedback from certified instructors.

“This project was born out of a passion for shooting and tactical training but gained extreme relevance with the start of the war with the Russian Federation. Developing Drill, my team and I wanted to create a virtual personal trainer that would be convenient to work with regardless of location, time, and environment: training in the trenches, at a shooting range, or at home,” comments Aleksandr Gusarov, co-founder and CEO of the startup.

Drill will eventually expand the list of weapons available for virtual training, as well as add new programs and individual exercises. Moreover, Drill developers are already working on functionality involving computer vision and machine learning, which will allow shooters to track the progress of training and receive feedback in real time.

The startup’s goal for the next three years is to make Drill a multiplatform, one-stop tool that gives any gun owner access to a variety of specialized information.

Security

The company says its app is safe for users. However, Drill recommends reading the Golden Rules of Gun Handling before starting. Moreover, the user can’t start training or performing any exercise without reading the safety rules.

All the courses are divided into several complexity levels, from elementary to advanced. Before you go to the shooting range, you must first complete the basic courses, which do not require shooting. The user must repeat the exercise 20 times without a weapon, then 20 times with a weapon without ammunition, and then using live ammunition.

Monetization

Drill is free so far. With the entry into Western markets, the team plans to launch monetization. One of the most likely options is a monthly subscription. Sponsorship is also under consideration. For Ukrainians, they promise to keep the service free for as long as possible.