Ukraine's $300,000 Novator armoured vehicle is now remote-controlled... by a PlayStation steering wheel

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:51, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 01:52, 10 July 2026 Ukraine's $300,000 (£224,000) Novator armoured military vehicle can now be controlled by a PlayStation steering wheel.  In a video shared to X, Ukraine's defence ministry wrote that the armoured personnel carrier (APC) now 'has gained remote-control capability.' It said: 'The absence of a crew has increased its payload capacity. It has also significantly reduced the risks to the lives and health of military personnel.'  The video showed the nearly 20,000lb vehicle being controlled by a PlayStation steering wheel.  The operator could be seen in a cushy room with the wheel, while the Novator was driving around a field.  According to Ukrainian Armor, the firm that manufactures the Novator, the APC has five gunports and is capable of carrying up to 10 people at a time.  It also has bulletproof glass, which has an additional layer that traps flying glass shards.  The vehicle has a top speed of 87mph, and has a typical range of at least 310 miles.  The Novator is an armoured personnel carrier (APC) that can now be remotely controlled An operator could be seen in a cushy room with the wheel, while the Novator was driving around a field The Ukrainian Novator armored vehicle has gone remote-controlled.No crew onboard means more payload capacity and no lives at risk behind the wheel. pic.twitter.com/tOGqSkufZC Though the move to cede control of such a powerful vehicle to an operator with a PlayStation controller may seem odd, the US military has long been doing something similar.  Wired reported in 2024 that the US Army and Marine Corps have been using Xbox controllers for over a decade, utilising them in everything from small unmanned vehicles to explosive ordnance disposal.  These controllers are even used to control parts of submarines, including 'photonics' masts.  The US Army has also deployed Xbox controllers for soldiers to use with Palletised-High Energy Laser systems, which uses lasers to shoot down incoming drones and missiles.  Tom Phelps, then a product director at iRobot, told Business Insider in 2013: 'By 2006, games like Halo were dominant in the military.  'So we worked with the military to socialize and standardize the concept … It was considered a very strong success, younger soldiers with a lot of gaming experience were able to adapt quickly.' It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky announced Ukraine and the US have reached a political agreement on licences for production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, adding that key supplies of the missiles were to arrive in the next few days. The Patriot is a US-made air defence system. Its PAC-3 interceptor - short for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 - is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has increasingly fired at Ukrainian cities. Zelensky, speaking to reporters after returning from a NATO summit and talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Turkey, also said that talks were proceeding with the U.S. on a 'drone deal' or joint drone production. 'I believe this was a productive summit for Ukraine. In the coming days, we'll receive a package from the United States, and there were also some separate agreements,' Zelensky said, referring to securing the PAC-3 interceptors. 'We resolved this issue politically,' he said of producing Patriot missiles for Ukraine. 'It's now very important that our technical teams, all our representatives from different ministries, representatives of the executive branch, start working on this without delay, so that we can get licences very quickly and start production in Ukraine as soon as possible.' Zelensky has long pleaded for faster supplies of interceptors capable of bringing down Russian ballistic missiles, a need accentuated by recent assaults on the Ukrainian capital and other cities. A firefighter works at a site of an apartment building hit during a Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 6, 2026 A firefighter works at the site of residential apartment buildings, which were heavily damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 6, 2026 Zelensky said no drone deal had yet been signed with Washington, 'but there are some documents that have already been signed so that the American side can get from Ukraine various types, different kinds that the United States is interested in for testing. And they're getting them from us.' He said these included 'both aerial drones and marine drones, as well as other technological things'. He also said discussions would proceed with Ukraine's European allies on developing a separate anti-missile system with a meeting planned for France in the near future. 'It's for ballistic targets, similar to Patriot, but more, I would say, mass-produced and a cheaper system,' Zelensky said. 'At least, that was the task I set for our manufacturers. This is a European model. Our meeting on this will be in France. And it will be very soon.'