In future conflicts, U.S. forces will have modern war machines with controls that will be familiar to anyone who grew up with an Xbox or PlayStation at home, rather than vast control panels and sci-fi-inspired touchscreens. will be in command.
Over the past few years, the U.S. Department of Defense has gradually integrated what appears to be a variant of the Freedom of Movement Control Unit (FMCU) cell phone as the primary control unit for a variety of advanced weapons systems, according to images released. That’s what it means. Media hub for the department’s Defense Visual Information Distribution System.
These systems include the new Navy Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) launcher, an integrated light tactical vehicle-based anti-ship missile system, which is essential to the Marine Corps’ conceptual future war plan. designed to launch new naval attack missiles. Relations with China in the Indo-Pacific. The Army’s new Mobile Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system with FIM-92 Stinger and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and a 30 mm chain gun mounted on a Stryker infantry fighting vehicle is considered a critical anti-aircraft system. Masu. Air capabilities in a potential conflict with Russia in Eastern Europe. The Air Force’s Air Base Recovery with MRAP-based Ordnance (RADBO) truck uses lasers to remove improvised explosive devices and other unexploded ordnance. The High Energy Laser Expeditionary (HELEX) laser weapon system installed on the Humvee is currently being tested by the Marine Corps.
FMCUs are also employed on a variety of experimental unmanned aircraft, and according to a 2023 Navy contract, the system will be essential to the operation of the AN/SAY-3A electro-optical sensor system (or “I-Stalker”). It’s planned. It is designed to enable the service’s future Constellation-class guided missile frigates to track and engage incoming threats.
Manufactured since 2008 by human-machine interface specialist Measurement Systems Inc. (MSI), a subsidiary of British defense contractor Ultra, FMCUs offer a form factor similar to a standard Xbox or PlayStation controller. However, it has a rugged design to protect its durability. MSI is a long-time developer of joysticks used in a variety of U.S. Navy systems and aircraft, and serves as a subcontractor to major defense “primes” such as General Atomics, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. I have fulfilled the following. BAE Systems will provide handheld control units for “a variety of aircraft and vehicle programs,” according to information compiled by federal contracting software GovTribe.
“With the foresight to recognize the most usable form factor for today’s warfighters, (Ultra) has continued to make the FMCU one of the most highly configurable and powerful controllers available today.” says. (The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment from WIRED.)
The infinitely customizable FMCU is not an entirely new technology. According to Ultra, the system has been used since at least 2010 to operate the Navy’s now-defunct MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned autonomous helicopter and Ground Operations Surveillance System (GBOSS). Both the Army and Marine Corps have employed it throughout the global war on terror. But the recent proliferation of handsets in sophisticated new weapons platforms means more than just a unique tactile feel and ergonomics when operating them, they’re essential to the next generation of potential warfighters even before they sign on. This reflects a growing trend among the U.S. military toward familiar operations. Until served.
