Background: from “selling hardware” to building capabilities
In 2023, RSI Europe started producing FPV drones and saw Lithuanian Armed forces as a core prospective client. Very quickly, one question emerged: what exactly would the Lithuanian Armed Forces want to do with these systems?
Instead of treating drones as a one-off product sale, RSI leadership made a strategic decision: if FPV systems are to have real operational value, the company has to help build human capability, not just deliver hardware. That meant:
- not “just selling hardware”,
- but offering a complete package: platforms + training + support,
- and aiming at a long-term partnership with theArmed Forces, not a single tender.
Experienced drone operators from RSI Europe outlined a training concept based on a simple but ambitious idea: create an FPV training programme that would make sense tactically, technically and institutionally — and that could eventually be integrated into Lithuania’s own training doctrine.
The vision: training as a two-way channel, not a one-way service
From the outset, RSI Europe viewed the FPV training package as more than just a service:
- For the end user, training had to provide not only a better understanding of the product, but also a broader view of what FPV capability means in the context of the battlefield.
- For RSI, training had to become a structured way to collect user experience, understand real needs, and keep a long-term relationship with trained personnel.
This approach showed the Armed Forces that the company is genuinely invested – training became a component of relationship-building, not an add-on.
User experience collection is a critical component of this programme for both RSI and the Armed Forces: feedback from the field drives development decisions and helps avoid the “developer vs user” disconnect where the user thinks the developer is wrong and vice versa.
Phase 1: From idea to a concrete proposal
Active discussions with the Lithuanian Armed Forces regarding need of FPV strike drone training started in the second half of 2023. Around Christmas, the team already had serious conversations with representatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces about running a pilot course in April 2024.
The Defence Staff was in the process of solving the puzzle of the FPV drone capability development plan, and the concept training course that RSI Europe had developed in advance, fit neatly into this puzzle.
The ideas offered by RSI Europe found support in the corridors of the Defence Staff and designated the General Stasys Raštikis Lithuanian Armed Forces School (Divizijos generolo Stasio Raštikio Lietuvos kariuomenės mokykla, LKM) asa responsible institution for the training component.
After further discussions with LKM, RSI Europe outlined how they envisioned the course. LKM shared their expectations.
Phase 2: Public procurement and course design
Once funding for the pilot training programme was confirmed, the Armed Forces started the preparatory work for the first course.
Experts from RSI Europe shared their ideas with the Armed Forces on how the course should be crafted: learning goals, skills and competencies that should be gained by the end of the course. Based on this draft, the Armed Forces:
- formulated their requirements,
- and wrote the technical specification for public procurement.
This allowed a successful initiation of the first FPV course for the Lithuanian Armed Forces in very short terms.
Phase 3: First course and first lessons
The first course was a success — not only internally, but also publicly. It was the first FPV course in the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and it attracted significant attention and positive PR. Video content and media coverage helped show both the Armed Forces and the wider public that FPV capability is no longer theory.
The experience gained during this course provided valuable lessons on further use of the trained pilots and on the selection practices for course participants.
Later, some of the participants became full-time instructors in the second course cycle — so the seeds planted in the first course did grow into institutional capacity.
Phase 4: Scaling up and evolving independent programme
On the technical side, RSI received intensive feedback from the trainees using Shpak drones in real training conditions. This revealed where the systems needed improvement — not only for Ukraine, but also for Lithuanian needs.
After the first course, the Armed Forces came back with more funding a clear message: we need more courses.
While the increased scale of training introduced some friction related to public procurement and misalignment of multiple service and product provider packages, the Armed Forces adapted fast. They took RSI’s course as the baseline, and with strong internal support included its contents into their own FPV course.
RSI’s training programme, on the other hand, continued to evolve faster (commercial cycles allow quicker updates), while the official programme requires more time to change. But strategically, the direction is the same.
Phase 5: From supplier to long-term partner
Once the Armed Forces had their own course structure and no longer depended on RSI for training delivery, RSI deliberately stayed in the picture not just as a past supplier, but as a partner, consulting pro bono consulting services, practical advice and support to the Armed Forces’ own training programme team.
The ongoing collaboration also includes providing new equipment to LKM for testing, which provided early exposure to upcoming developments.
At this stage, RSI also recognised how critical customer support is. Once battalions started flying and FPV usage ramped up, it became clear that support and maintenance are not just “nice-to-have”. It is a core part of the capability cycle. This understanding stems from wider experience of military purchases – procurement of hardware withour the support package (warranty, post-warranty maintenance, development), is prone to create a real risk of capability gaps
RSI now provides paid support services (including repairs) to the Armed Forces, but a centralised, long-term support contract for the whole force is still an open question.
Co-development: how Lithuanian shaped Shpak tailored for Ukrainian battlefield
Initially, Shpak systems were built largely to Ukrainian requirements. Lithuania procured essentially the same platform that was being sent to Ukraine — and in Lithuania, that system is used primarily for training, not combat.
This revealed several mismatches and prompted feedback with requirements, specific to Lithuanian needs.
Over time, RSI started to systematically use Lithuanian feedback for development:
- New development roadmaps (retranslator, ground station evolution, ergonomics) are aligned with Lithuanian Armed Forces feedback.
- Lithuanian user experience is now a core input into development, not an afterthought.
- Philosophically, one of the key requirements that emerged internally: Shpak must not be a zip-tied DIY “flying IED”, but a serious, military-grade system.
Some design features (e.g. a standard Picatinny rail, more robust battery mounting) are part of this evolution — moving from improvised solutions to a stable, professional platform suited for doctrine-based use.
Impact on doctrine and future developments
The Lithuanian Armed Forces’ FPV story is still in progress. TTPs, SOPs and training and operational doctrines being tested, adjusted and refined. Nobody yet fully knows how FPV will reshape the tactical battlefield — that will come with accumulated experience.
What has already changed:
- FPV capability is no longer a niche experiment; it is tied into formal training and doctrine.
- There is a defined FPV course standard inside the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
- An emerging FPV unit and integration with other fires and support systems are now part of real exercises.
RSI’s role in this process has evolved from vendor to co-creator of capability:
- providing training,
- feeding user feedback into development,
- supporting doctrinal experiments,
- and adjusting Shpak to Lithuanian and allied needs, informed by both Ukrainian and Lithuanian experience.
The core lesson: an FPV strike drone is not just hardware. The real capability emerges only when training, doctrine, logistics, support and continuous development are treated as one integrated system — with industry and armed forces learning together, not in isolation.