Ukraine remotely controls machine guns with Steam Deck

Steamdeck
With game consoles at the front: Ukraine remotely controls machine guns with joysticks

Necessity is the mother of invention: Ukrainian soldiers recently showed how they control a remote-controlled turret. A game console plays an important role in this.

Staying at the front is life-threatening. For guarding buildings, passageways or certain areas, remote-controlled weapons are therefore a popular means of keeping yourself out of the line of fire as much as possible. In its defense against Russia, Ukraine also relies on numerous systems that are controlled and operated by soldiers from afar. Including the carriage called “Shablia” (in German: saber), which has now been presented to the public.

“Shablia” is a rack on which a machine gun, presumably MG PK, is installed in the video. Contributions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and “TPO MediaIt is also possible to install anti-tank weapons on it, they say. According to the source, it is operated by remote control from a distance of up to 500 meters. Enough not to endanger soldiers unnecessarily .

The weapons are controlled via game console

The weapon system is also making the rounds on the Internet because the armed forces show their creative side when choosing the remote control. They use a handheld game console from the American company Valve Steamdeck. It’s actually a platform that allows you to play graphically rich PC games from the Steam library on the go.

Unlike a Nintendo Switch, the Valve console’s software architecture is open to alternative operating systems and software, making it a versatile piece of hardware for resourceful programmers. Only this makes such a use far away from the original function possible.

The current form of the “Shablia” dates back to a group funding project from the time of the annexation of Crimea. At that time, the Ukrainian “People’s Project” Money for its development and maintenance.

As far as the new control is concerned, the US manufacturer Valve has not yet spoken out. In fact, the US (and companies based there) are considered allies of Ukraine. But the use for controlling weapons has also been a problem in other cases – just in February, the space company SpaceX restricted the internet service Starlink for drones used for attacks on the front lines (Starlink shuts down internet for drones in Ukraine) .