Kurganets-25 PlayStation DualShock Controller 1

There's more crossover between games consoles and the military than you may think – after all, remember when Iraq caused concern when it imported 4,000 PlayStation 2 consoles purportedly as part of a plan to build a supercomputer designed to control a chemical weapon? Well, now Russia's getting in on the act, as its latest tank is said to be powered by a pad heavily inspired by the iconic DualShock.

According to the Daily Mail – who's sourcing state-owned site Sputnik – the Kurganets-25 is manoeuvred with a PlayStation-esque pad rather than a steering wheel. "I spent two years convincing the designers to make the [controller] similar to a PlayStation gamepad, to make it easier for a young soldier to familiarise himself with it," explained Tractor Plants vice-president Albert Bakov.

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Bakov continued that the DualShock has been perfected over the years, making it a perfect choice. He added that the controller's design is both safer and less space consuming than a traditional steering wheel. "As it turns out, a steering wheel is dangerous for the rib cage during an impact and when climbing out," Bakov concluded. "It takes up more space but provides nothing."

The Kurganets-25 itself is an infantry fighting vehicle, which is thought to be capable of transporting eight troops, as well as a three-person crew. While it can only move at a rumoured 50 miles-per-hour, it apparently comes packing a machine gun, a 30mm cannon, and space for four anti-tank missiles. In other words: it's not the kind of vehicle that you'd like to get on the wrong side of.

[source sputniknews.com, via dailymail.co.uk]