This Company’s Employees Look Like They’re Playing Video Games—But They’re Controlling Submarines

Sorry, parents. It turns out playing Call of Duty might actually be relevant experience for the real world after all.

And you can thank global aerospace and technology company Lockheed Martin for that.

Higher Tech Doesn’t Always Mean Higher Cost

In a move designed to make its technology more intuitive and easily replaceable, the Navy is working with Lockheed Martin to replace old (and expensive) custom joysticks on Virginia-Class submarine periscopes with something more modern: Xbox 360 controllers.

Reason number one people love the idea? Money. The previous joystick model and its accompanying control panel cost nearly $40,000. The Xbox 360 controller, on the other hand, retails for $40.

If you need help with the math, that means the new option is 99,900 percent cheaper.

But it’s not just government accountants who are happy.

A Familiar Feeling For Newer Navy Recruits

“That joystick is by no means cheap, and it is only designed to fit on a Virginia-class submarine,” a Navy nuclear submarine assistant navigator told a Virginia newspaper. “I can go to any video game store and procure an Xbox controller anywhere in the world, so it makes a very easy replacement.”

The Xbox controller will still work with the built-in panel, which displays images sent down from the two masts of the periscope (which Lockheed Martin also designed). These new “photonic imaging masts” use a series of cameras, light sensors, and other pieces of cutting-edge imaging tech to provide a more nuanced picture of the submarine’s surroundings. They also allow for simultaneous viewing.

Lockheed Martin has been working on the program since this past November, when it kicked off with the USS Colorado. It has continued to expand and will ultimately include all Virginia-class submarines in the Navy fleet.

But this isn’t a one-and-done project. Lockheed Martin employees will continue working with the Navy to develop tech solutions that will cut costs and increase efficiency. Apart from retrofitting nuclear submarines with Xbox 360 controllers, Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works development team also built an autonomous airship repair robot with almost entirely off-the-shelf parts.  

Curious to know what else is in the pipeline? Apply to open positions at Lockheed Martin and be a part of this innovative work. They’re hiring now on WayUp!

Lockheed Martin is a leading global aerospace and technology company that works with partners around the world to drive forward scientific research and innovation.