U.S. Navy uses Xbox-style controllers for anti-drone laser systems

Familiar controls for naval systems

The U.S. Navy has started using Xbox-style controllers to operate anti-drone laser systems. According to Interesting Engineering, the controllers provide targeting precision and rapid user inputs, making them suitable for controlling the weapons platform.

Many sailors are already familiar with the basic layout of Xbox controllers, which can make training easier. Further details about the naval systems are unavailable, including whether their controllers are wired or wireless and whether the hardware is commercially available or specially made by a contractor.

Warship deployment and combat use

The laser systems are not limited to experiments. The U.S. Navy has started deploying them aboard warships and has reportedly used them against drones and other threats in the Strait of Hormuz. A similar system was tested aboard the USS George H.W. Bush supercarrier several months earlier.

The Strait of Hormuz deployment appears to be among the first instances of an anti-drone laser being used in an active conflict area. The Royal Navy is also installing a similar system on its destroyers, with the United Kingdom expecting the systems to become operational next year.

Lower operating costs

Lasers have previously been used against drones by land-based military systems. The U.S. military used lasers to disable Mexican cartel drones in late August, while Ukraine has been experimenting with AI-guided lasers designed to destroy Shahed suicide drones in mid-2026.

Laser weapons can cost less to operate than traditional missiles, close-in weapons systems, machine guns and cannons. A laser engagement is estimated to cost around $13 in electricity, while an anti-aircraft missile can cost anywhere from thousands to millions of dollars. Laser systems do not require conventional ammunition and can continue defending a ship while it has sufficient electrical power and the equipment remains serviceable.