The US military has been adopting video game controller-like devices to operate its advanced weapons systems for a long time now. Latest images released by the US Department of Defense on the Defence Visual Information Distribution Service website have revealed that variants of the Freedom of Movement Control Unit (FMCU), which resembles Xbox or PlayStation controllers, are being integrated into various weapons platforms.
According to the data compiled by federal contracting software GovTribe, Measurement Systems Inc. (MSI), a subsidiary of British defence contractor Ultra is supplying the US military with these FMCUs which are designed to withstand harsh environments.
MSI, a longtime developer of joysticks for naval and aircraft systems, has partnered with major defence contractors like General Atomics , Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems to develop these handheld control units for various military programs, the report adds.
How the US military has been using FMCUs for other weapons
According to a blog post on DVIDS, the FMCU is being used to control the Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) anti-ship missile launcher. The official site of the US Marine Corps claims that NMESIS, which is a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle–based anti-ship missile system is designed to fire the new Naval Strike Missile that’s important to the Marine Corps if there’s a conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific in the coming days.
Another report by Task & Purpose claims that the US Army uses similar controller-like devices to operate its Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system. In a post shared on X (earlier Twitter), a tipster also claimed the same:
This system can fire the FIM-92 Stinger and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and has a 30-mm chain gun mounted on a Stryker infantry fighting vehicle. As per a report by DefenseNews, this system is seen as a critical anti-air capability in a potential clash with Russia in Eastern Europe.
Apart from these systems, these controllers-like devices are also used by the US Air Force's Recovery of Air Bases Denied by Ordnance (RADBO) truck for clearing explosives, and the Marine Corps' High Energy Laser-Expeditionary (HELEX) laser weapon system, reports Wired.
Another blog post on the DVIDS site claims that FMCU has been employed on other experimental unmanned vehicles. A Navy contract from 2023 is available on the official US govt site SAM.gov that these controllers will also be used to operate the AN/SAY-3A Electro-Optic Sensor System (or “I-Stalker”).
A seperate report by the Naval Sea Systems Command claims that this system is designed to help the service’s upcoming Constellation-class guided-missile frigates (small and fast military ships) track and engage incoming threats. The concept of the US Navy’s upcoming Frigate can be found in the US Naval Institute magazine.
In a blog post, MSIs’s parent company Ultra explained: “With the foresight to recognise the form factor that would be most accessible to today’s warfighters, [Ultra] has continued to make the FMCU one of the most highly configurable and powerful controllers available today,”
A report from 2013 by Military Embedded Systems claims that the US military has been using such controller-like FMCUs in the Navy's MQ-8 Fire Scout drone helicopter and the Ground Based Operational Surveillance System (GBOSS) for a long time.
The FMCU being integrated into a wide range of advanced weapons platforms reflects a shifting trend towards user-friendly interfaces that are not only tactile and ergonomic but also familiar to a generation raised on video game controllers.
In a statement to Wired, an Air Force spokesman said: “For RADBO, the operators are generally a much younger audience. Therefore, utilising a PlayStation or Xbox type of controller such as the FMCU seems to be a natural transition for the gaming generation.”
DVIDS also notes that the US Army and Marine Corps have been using Xbox controllers to operate small unmanned vehicles for more than a decade. Moreover, these controller units were reportedly employed for other systems ranging from explosive ordnance disposal to airborne drones, as well as larger assets like the M1075 Palletized Loading System logistics vehicle.
According to the data compiled by federal contracting software GovTribe, Measurement Systems Inc. (MSI), a subsidiary of British defence contractor Ultra is supplying the US military with these FMCUs which are designed to withstand harsh environments.
MSI, a longtime developer of joysticks for naval and aircraft systems, has partnered with major defence contractors like General Atomics , Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems to develop these handheld control units for various military programs, the report adds.
How the US military has been using FMCUs for other weapons
According to a blog post on DVIDS, the FMCU is being used to control the Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) anti-ship missile launcher. The official site of the US Marine Corps claims that NMESIS, which is a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle–based anti-ship missile system is designed to fire the new Naval Strike Missile that’s important to the Marine Corps if there’s a conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific in the coming days.
Another report by Task & Purpose claims that the US Army uses similar controller-like devices to operate its Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system. In a post shared on X (earlier Twitter), a tipster also claimed the same:
The controller of US Army's M-SHORAD / The fire controller of Challenger 2 pic.twitter.com/J60VKTTE4B
— Sovinskiy (@_Sovinskiy) February 16, 2023
This system can fire the FIM-92 Stinger and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and has a 30-mm chain gun mounted on a Stryker infantry fighting vehicle. As per a report by DefenseNews, this system is seen as a critical anti-air capability in a potential clash with Russia in Eastern Europe.
Apart from these systems, these controllers-like devices are also used by the US Air Force's Recovery of Air Bases Denied by Ordnance (RADBO) truck for clearing explosives, and the Marine Corps' High Energy Laser-Expeditionary (HELEX) laser weapon system, reports Wired.
Another blog post on the DVIDS site claims that FMCU has been employed on other experimental unmanned vehicles. A Navy contract from 2023 is available on the official US govt site SAM.gov that these controllers will also be used to operate the AN/SAY-3A Electro-Optic Sensor System (or “I-Stalker”).
A seperate report by the Naval Sea Systems Command claims that this system is designed to help the service’s upcoming Constellation-class guided-missile frigates (small and fast military ships) track and engage incoming threats. The concept of the US Navy’s upcoming Frigate can be found in the US Naval Institute magazine.
In a blog post, MSIs’s parent company Ultra explained: “With the foresight to recognise the form factor that would be most accessible to today’s warfighters, [Ultra] has continued to make the FMCU one of the most highly configurable and powerful controllers available today,”
A report from 2013 by Military Embedded Systems claims that the US military has been using such controller-like FMCUs in the Navy's MQ-8 Fire Scout drone helicopter and the Ground Based Operational Surveillance System (GBOSS) for a long time.
The FMCU being integrated into a wide range of advanced weapons platforms reflects a shifting trend towards user-friendly interfaces that are not only tactile and ergonomic but also familiar to a generation raised on video game controllers.
In a statement to Wired, an Air Force spokesman said: “For RADBO, the operators are generally a much younger audience. Therefore, utilising a PlayStation or Xbox type of controller such as the FMCU seems to be a natural transition for the gaming generation.”
DVIDS also notes that the US Army and Marine Corps have been using Xbox controllers to operate small unmanned vehicles for more than a decade. Moreover, these controller units were reportedly employed for other systems ranging from explosive ordnance disposal to airborne drones, as well as larger assets like the M1075 Palletized Loading System logistics vehicle.
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