Xbox joystick and thermal optics: Border guards reveal upgraded nighttime air defense system
Illustrative photo: border guards hunt enemy drones (Getty Images)
Ukrainian border guards are using a modernized mobile air defense system to destroy enemy unmanned aerial vehicles during nighttime operations. A key feature of the system is remote control via a standard gaming joystick, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Modernization and joystick control
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (DPSU) showed the combat operation of a mobile fire group from the Oberih (Amulet) air defense border unit, which is part of the Pomsta (Revenge) border brigade.
The unit is equipped with a powerful system featuring a twin-mounted 12.7 mm Browning heavy machine gun and a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun.
Thanks to modern engineering solutions, the classic weapon mounted on a pickup truck has been significantly upgraded. The mobile system is fitted with an electronic targeting system and thermal imaging optics, enabling effective detection of aerial targets at night.
Target acquisition and fire control are fully remote-controlled — the operator uses a standard Xbox gaming joystick and a laptop monitor.
"Such a modernized system allows for a rapid response to threats from the air and precise destruction of enemy strike drones," the State Border Guard Service noted.
Crew safety and nighttime duty
Preparation for duty requires maximum coordination from the crew — quickly deploying the system from under a tarp, loading belts with large-caliber ammunition, and configuring the electronics. All preparation and combat operations take place at dusk and during nighttime hours.
The key advantage of the upgraded system is enhanced protection for military personnel.
Remote control ensures maximum safety for the crew, which can open fire from a protected position without being directly next to the machine gun.
Private air defense project
Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that an experimental private air defense project had been launched in the country, with 27 companies of various forms of ownership already joining the initiative.
Companies from Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv, and other regions have now received authorization from the Ministry of Defense to carry out air defense tasks. Two of these companies are already performing combat missions in the regions and have successfully destroyed about 20 Russian drones.
In addition, according to the head of the defense ministry, Ukraine is actively testing low-cost missiles for intercepting Shahed drones and preparing for their mass production.
The main objective of the project, following instructions from the president, is to scale up production dozens of times in order to ensure reliable protection of Ukrainian airspace and build up the necessary stockpile of weapons for the autumn and winter period.
