In future wars, American soldiers operating the newest combat vehicles won’t be using expansive control panels or futuristic touchscreens, rather, they will be using controls that are recognisable to anyone who grew up with an Xbox or PlayStation at home.
According to publicly available imagery posted to the department’s Defence Visual Information Distribution System media hub, the US Defence Department has been gradually integrating what appear to be variations of the Freedom of Movement Control Unit (FMCU) handsets as the primary control units for a variety of advanced weapons systems over the past few years.
The United States Air Force’s MRAP-based Recovery of Air Bases Denied by Ordnance (RADBO) truck uses a laser to clear away improvised explosive devices and other unexploded munitions. The Army’s new Manoeuvre-Short Range Air Defence (M-SHORAD) system, which is armed with FIM-92 Stinger and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and a 30-mm chain gun mounted on a Stryker infantry fighting vehicle, is also considered a vital anti-air capability in a potential conflict with Russia in Eastern Europe. Finally, the Marine Corps is currently testing the Humvee-mounted High Energy Laser-Expeditionary (HELEX) laser weapon system.
A 2023 Navy contract states that the FMCU will be essential to the functioning of the AN/SAY-3A Electro-Optic Sensor System (also known as “I-Stalker”), which is intended to assist the service’s future Constellation-class guided-missile frigates in tracking and engaging inbound threats. The FMCU has also been used on several experimental unmanned vehicles.
Measurement Systems (MSI), a British defence contractor subsidiary that specialises in human-machine interfaces, has been manufacturing the FMCU since 2008. Its rugged design protects its delicate electronics from any hostile environments that US service members might encounter. The FMCU’s form factor is comparable to that of a standard Xbox or PlayStation controller.
According to data compiled by federal contracting software GovTribe, MSI, a longtime developer of joysticks used on various US naval systems and aircraft, has worked as a subcontractor to major defence “primes” like General Atomics, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems to provide the handheld control units for “various aircraft and vehicle programmes.”
According to Ultra, “[Ultra] has continued to make the FMCU one of the most highly adaptable and capable controllers available today with the vision to foresee the form factor that would be most accessible to today’s warfighters.”
The infinitely adaptable FMCU is not entirely a novel technological advancement: The system, according to Ultra, has been in use since at least 2010 to run the Ground Based Operational Surveillance System (GBOSS), which the Army and Marine Corps have both used during the global war on terror, as well as the now-owned Navy’s MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned autonomous helicopter.
However, the recent widespread use of the handset across highly advanced new weapon platforms is indicative of a growing trend in the US military toward controls that are not only distinctively tactile or ergonomic in their operation, but also naturally recognisable to the next generation of prospective warfighters before they even enlist.
An Air Force spokesman told WIRED that “with RADBO, the operators are often a considerably younger audience.” Thus, using a controller similar to the FMCU, which is a PlayStation or Xbox type, seems like a logical step for the gaming generation.
Even so, it should come as no surprise that the US military is implementing custom-made controls on video games: For a long time, the different service branches have been experimenting with console handsets that are available commercially to operate new technologies. For over ten years, the Army and Marine Corps have been using Xbox controllers to control tiny autonomous vehicles. These include airborne drones and ground units used for explosive ordnance disposal, as well as bigger vehicles like the M1075 Palletised Loading System logistical vehicle.
Simultaneously, the Navy’s new Virginia-class submarines, which formerly had periscopes, now have “photonics masts” instead, and both the service’s Multifunctional Automated Repair System robot and surface warships use the same low-cost Xbox handset for various tasks, including shipyard maintenance and in-theatre battle damage repair.
Those in the military sector who are vying for new Pentagon contracts likewise follow this trend: Look no further than the BlueHalo-developed LOCUST Laser Weapon System, which serves as the Army’s Palletised-High Energy Laser (P-HEL) system. Similar to the service’s earlier forays into laser weapons, this system specifically uses an Xbox controller to assist soldiers in targeting incoming drones and burning them out of the sky.
Tom Phelps, an iRobot product director at the time, told Business Insider in 2013 that the business adopted a standard Xbox controller for its PackBot IED disposal robot because “by 2006, games like Halo were prominent in the military. Thus, in order to standardise and popularise the idea, we collaborated with the military. The fact that younger soldiers with a lot of gaming expertise could adjust fast made it a huge success.”
Outside of the US military, commercial video game consoles have also shown popularity. Examples include the British Army’s remote-controlled Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle and Israel Aerospace Industries’ Carmel battle tank, whose controls were developed based on input from teenage gamers who reportedly preferred a standard video game console to a traditional fighter jet-style joystick. In a more recent development, Ukrainian troops have directed machine gun turrets and armed unmanned drones against Russian invaders using Steam Decks and PlayStation controllers.
The Marine Corps stated that the new Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) launcher, a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle-based anti-ship missile system developed to fire the new Naval Strike Missile that’s essential to the Marine Corps’ plans for a hypothetical future war with China in the Indo-Pacific, also uses a controller similar to one from a video game.
Furthermore, these controllers have peculiar non-military uses as well: The most notorious example is the OceanGate submarine, which, as CBS News noted at the time, was using a Logitech F710 joystick to handle its fatal implosion on a dive to the Titanic wreck in June 2023.
“They have a far lower fear of technology and are far more prepared to experiment…Optimising the controls of the Carmel tank for younger operators is something” that Israeli Defence Forces colonel Udi Tzur told The Washington Post in 2020, while adding, “It comes to them naturally. It’s not quite like playing Fortnite, but it’s similar, and they quickly elevate their abilities to a functional level. To be honest with you, I didn’t anticipate it would happen so soon.”
Operating cutting-edge military weaponry with inexpensive controllers reminiscent of video games has obvious benefits. First, it has to do with control: In addition to being more ergonomic, video game consoles have buttons and joysticks arranged to provide tactile feedback that is not typically possible from, for example, one of the US military’s now-ubiquitous touchscreens. Following the 2017 collision between the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore, the Navy had to learn this the hard way.
As a result, the service replaced the touchscreens on its bridges with mechanical throttles throughout its fleet of guided-missile destroyers after the National Transportation Safety Board reported that sailors preferred the latter because “they provide[d] both immediate and tactile feedback to the operator.” Although it may not be possible for a US service member to use an Xbox controller with a “rumble” feature, several studies seem to support the idea that video-game-style controllers, such as the FMCU, offer considerable tactile (and tactical) advantages over dynamic touchscreens.
However, as military officials and defence contractors have pointed out, the Pentagon benefits from the controllers since they are known to the average US service member. According to a yearly report from the Entertainment Software Association trade group, as of 2024, over 190.6 million Americans of all ages, or approximately 61% of the population, played video games.
Meanwhile, data released in May by the Pew Research Centre shows that 85% of American teenagers say they play video games, with 41% indicating they play every day.
Regarding specific video gaming platforms, the ESA analysis shows that Gen Z and Gen Alpha, two groups that may end up participating in America’s next major conflict, are the biggest fans of consoles and their unique controllers.
According to military technologist Peter W. Singer, the Pentagon is “free-riding” off the video game industry, which has spent decades educating Americans on a set of controls and ergonomics that are standard across most game systems (sorry, Wii remote—the Army considered using it for bomb-disposal robots almost two decades ago). At least since the PlayStation introduced elongated grips in the 1990s.
In an interview from March 2023, Singer said, “The gaming companies spent millions of dollars designing an ideal, intuitive, easy-to-learn user interface, and then they went and spent years training up the user base for the US military on how to utilise that interface. These designs are not accidental; the military draws from the same pool that they do for their clientele, and the training is essentially pre-completed.”
Exactly how many US military systems use the FMCU is unknown at this time. The Pentagon referred the US-based media outlet to the respective military branches for further information after confirming the system’s use on the NMESIS, M-SHORAD, and RADBO weapons systems when contacted for comment. The Air Force reaffirmed the handset’s usage with the RADBO, while the Marine Corps verified its use with the GBOSS. The Army did not reply to queries for information. The Navy said that the service does not currently use the FMCU with any existing systems.
It is unclear to what extent the FMCU and its commercially available versions will permeate the US military. However, once introduced, controls that successfully convert human inputs into machine action typically last for decades, after all, since the beginning of military aircraft, the joystick, also referred to as the “control column” in the military, has been an essential component. Hopefully, by the time the next major conflict arises, the Pentagon hasn’t already moved on to the Power Glove.
The integration of video game-style controllers like the FMCU into advanced military systems highlights a shift toward leveraging familiar, intuitive designs for next-generation soldiers. These controllers not only offer ergonomic and tactile advantages over touchscreens but also capitalise on a user base already skilled in their operation, thanks to decades of video game industry development. As more weapons systems and vehicles adopt these familiar control interfaces, it’s clear that the military is reaping the benefits of pre-trained personnel. It suggests a future where intuitive and cost-effective solutions continue to shape military technology.