US Army Uses Xbox Controllers to Shoot Down $20,000 Iranian Drones in Style
KEY POINTS
- â˘Since early March 2026, the US Army deployed about 30 Merops counter-drone systems to the Middle East amid the Iran war.
- â˘Over 150 US soldiers have undergone the Armyâs largest-ever counter-drone training using a combination of AI-powered drones and Xbox controllers.
- â˘The Merops system, battle-hardened in Ukraine, defends against Iranian Shahed drones without relying on expensive surface-to-air missiles.
In the dazzling theater of the Iran war, where high-tech meets middle-of-the-road gaming, the US Army has surged about 30 Merops counter-drone complexes to the Middle East since March 2026. Each system packs a $15,000 'Surveyor' interceptor that flies at 175 mph, guided by AI and an Xbox controllerâapparently the military's budget got a promo code. Over 150 soldiers rotate through extensive training, which, shockingly, takes just days even if you never played 'Avengers' or fired a Stinger before. Incidentally, these drones havenât downed any Iranian Shaheds yet but have already proven veterans in Ukraine, intercepting more than 1,000 enemy drones launched the old fashioned way: from pickup trucks. Meanwhile, Ukrainian experts parachuted their drone defense wisdom to the desert, and President Zelenskyy proudly confirmed Kyiv's success wiping out Tehranâs toys abroad. It's the largest counter-drone training ever, funded enough to arm 1,000 interceptors, proving that nothing says modern warfare like using a $300 controller to shoot down $20,000 kamikaze toys.
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(1 of 3)The US Army's defense strategy: pay $15,000 for drones shot down by drones piloted with Xbox controllers. When did military-grade turn into gamer-grade?
Turns out the Pentagon's new secret weapon is all about channeling your inner gamer. Next mission: modding Call of Duty for real warzones.
Why use multimillion-dollar missiles when an Xbox controller and a $15k interceptor drone will do? America's military budget looks suspiciously like a Garage Sale Find.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 4/13/2026 | Author: Jake Epstein
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