The new Army

**Phaedrus** · 04-15-2008, 11:02 AM

Someone posted this to a military forum I frequent and I thought it was hilarious.

The Ranger pictured on the left is controlling a reconnaissance drone of some kind (air, land, or stalk-mounted, I do not know.)

Does anyone here recognize his controller?

**clonefromNE** · 04-15-2008, 11:04 AM

X Box 360...interesting. It also looks like this may be training or what not. Aren't those yellow things laser attachments for training?

**cmoneyr** · 04-15-2008, 11:23 AM

Oh man, I could totally be an Army Ranger! I've got tons of experience in Call of Duty and Rainbow Six, sign me up!

**Cy Heavy** · 04-15-2008, 11:28 AM

Does this mean that carpal tunnel will now be covered by VA benefits?

**bos** · 04-15-2008, 11:33 AM

That is a guy who better hope his men have his back. He is totally focused on the eye piece.

**Phaedrus** · 04-15-2008, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by clonefromNE

X Box 360...interesting. It also looks like this may be training or what not. Aren't those yellow things laser attachments for training?

Those are Blank Firing Adapters. They temporarily plug the barrel so that the rifle will function with out a bullet to seal the gas.

So, yes, you're correct. That IS training, but I don't doubt the controller is the "real thing".

**Phaedrus** · 04-15-2008, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by bostinelosd

That is a guy who better hope his men have his back. He is totally focused on the eye piece.

It's that whole "team" thing. He protects them by seeing the bad guys before they see them, and they protect him from suprises. What surprised me, is that the normal controller boxes usually come in big shock-proof boxes, and evidently someone got smart and adapted a video game controller to the purpose that DIDN'T weigh 20+ pounds.

**Knownothing** · 04-15-2008, 11:54 AM

Yeah they are training. The BFA on the end is a dead give away. It's so that when you fire a blank the weapon thinks it is firing a real bullet and gives air pressure so the next round loads and the other round kicks it out.

Also there is probably a platoon standing behind a wall somewhere with weapons down range while these guys run up and blast what need's blasting. In the Marines we never worried about our back. We knew someone had it.

Also if you look at the pic someone has his 6 while he is looking down. Although the guy who has his back needs to get his rifle up and looking down the scope.

**Phaedrus** · 04-15-2008, 12:02 PM

If you like playing video games, you'd love "some" of the Army.

Where I work, we have guys who fly "real" Unmanned Flying Systems, and guys who fly "virtual" Unmanned Flying Systems. You get to sit in air conditioned/heated comfort, and fly either a real remotely piloted vehicle or a simulated one, 12 hours a day. The absolutely smokingly hottest female I've EVER seen in the Army does this very thing, right across the hallway from my office. Oddly enough, she doesn't care for it all that much.

If your aptitude score is high enough, and there is an opening, you can actually get rated as a UAS operator, and do it for a living in uniform. And after you get out, you can do it as a Private Contractor.

The coolest thing, though, is the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, which is a squad-level, interactive with real guns, recoil and noise version of "Rainbow 6". You'd be surprised how much more work it is to play it with a full weight, recoiling and noisemaking weapon. When it's my turn to train in it (4 blessedly wonderful days a year) I can usually barely lift my arms the next day.

**Knownothing** · 04-15-2008, 12:07 PM

The coolest thing, though, is the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, which is a squad-level, interactive with real guns, recoil and noise version of "Rainbow 6". You'd be surprised how much more work it is to play it with a full weight, recoiling and noisemaking weapon. When it's my turn to train in it (4 blessedly wonderful days a year) I can usually barely lift my arms the next day.

We had one for rainy day's at Pendelton.

**jdoggivjc** · 04-15-2008, 12:12 PM

As someone who works for Army Acquisition it makes absolute sense that equipment would be designed to be controlled by a video game controller. Want the soldiers become familiar with and to learn how to operate the equipment as quickly as possible? Make the design of it as familiar as possible. It also helps that Microsoft is making their XBOX 360 controllers a USB-interface with PCs nowadays. Just pray they don't get a "ring of death" on the battlefield...

**alaskaguy** · 04-16-2008, 01:24 PM

Maybe it wasn't a drone that the soldier was controlling. Perhaps it was one of those SWORDS?

The Inside Story of the SWORDS Armed Robot "Pullout" in Iraq: Update - Popular Mechanics

**bos** · 04-16-2008, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by alaskaguy

Maybe it wasn't a drone that the soldier was controlling. Perhaps it was one of those SWORDS?

The Inside Story of the SWORDS Armed Robot "Pullout" in Iraq: Update - Popular Mechanics

Its a matter of time until we have a terminator working for us. These things look so primitive in current form, but as robotics improve, I can easily see such things we see in movies coming to reality.