Border guards shoot down drones using an Xbox controller
Ukrainian border guards have demonstrated a modernized mobile air defense system that is controlled using a standard Xbox controller. The system helps detect and destroy Russian drones at night, and operators can work from a safe shelter. This was reported by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Ukrainian border guards continue to adapt their equipment to the realities of modern warfare. This time, the State Border Guard Service demonstrated a mobile air defense system that the operator controls not with a steering wheel or levers, but with a standard Xbox controller.
The system is used by the mobile fire group of the “Oberig” air defense unit, which is part of the “Pomsta” border brigade. The system is based on a 12.7mm Browning heavy machine gun and a 7.62mm PKT machine gun mounted in the bed of a pickup truck.
But the key here isn’t the weapon itself, but how it was upgraded. Engineers added an electronic guidance system, a thermal imager, and remote control capabilities. Now the operator can search for targets and open fire via a laptop monitor using a gaming joystick. “This upgraded system allows for a rapid response to threats from the sky and the precise destruction of enemy attack drones,” the State Border Guard Service noted.
The system has proven particularly effective during nighttime operations. Thanks to thermal imaging optics, border guards can detect aerial targets even in complete darkness.
Before deployment, the crew quickly prepares the vehicle for combat: they remove the cover, load ammunition belts, and configure the electronics. All of this takes just a few minutes.
One of the system’s main advantages is crew safety. Soldiers no longer need to stand next to the machine gun while it’s in operation. Control is remote, so the operator can remain in cover or a protected location. “Remote control ensures maximum safety for the crew,” the State Border Guard Service explains.
The Border Guard Service says that such mobile systems are particularly useful during attacks by strike drones, when a quick response and a change of position are required.
This is not the first time the Ukrainian military has used civilian technology—from drones to game controllers—in combat. But it is this particular air defense system with an Xbox controller that has drawn special attention online due to its unusual approach and ease of use.
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