Why the Pentagon loves Xbox controllers for laser weapons

Gamepad controls make high-energy lasers easier for troops to learn and use. But as AI takes over targeting and tracking, the real story is how little direct control humans may keep.

[Source Images: Xbox and Pixabay]

One of the most distinctive features of the U.S. military’s high-energy laser weapon of choice isn’t the system itself—it’s how operators control it.

In a 60 Minutes segment on military laser weapons that aired on March 15, CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl traveled to Albuquerque for an up-close look at defense contractor AV’s 20-kilowatt LOCUST Laser Weapons System, which has been watching over U.S. service members abroad (and triggering occasional airspace shutdowns near the U.S.-Mexico border at home) in........

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