Syrian rebels using PLAYSTATION controllers to operate machine guns as they blast ISIS
A video to show rebel fighters using the weapon equipped with a camera and guided from a safe distance purportedly by a person in front of a TV screen
A REBEL group in Syria claims to be using a PlayStation controller and camera to operate a robotic machine gun in war-torn Aleppo.
A video posted online shows rebels fighters discussing the weapon, which is equipped with a camera and guided from a safe distance by a person in front of a TV screen.
One scene shows one eerily rising up from the ground before blasting away at a practice target in the distance.
The gun operators can keep watch for enemy troops from a safe distance, scanning the horizon and watching for signs of movement on an small LCD TV screen.
The Sun Online was unable to verify what group the men claimed to be fighting for.
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If true, the so-called Sham R3 automated system would be one of the most sophisticated weapons in use by rebel forces.
It comprises of a large calibre belt-fed machine gun which is mounted on a rack and is moved via a series of motorcycle-type chains that are connected to electric servo motors.
The camera features a powerful 43x zoom lens and it was showing firing at a target some 2,600ft away.
It has been estimated one robot gun could replace the 15 people who would normally be required to defend a fighting position.
Footage of the weapon was issued by the Aleppo News Network, which reports on groups being bombarded by Russian air strikes in the Aleppo area.
Its precise location has not been disclosed but recent reports suggested it had been filmed in the Sheikh Saeed area in the south of Aleppo city.
Some scenes in the video showed the weapon being used to target snipers' positions inside buildings.
The video suggests that the automated guns have been deployed to help prevent Assad regime troops from advancing into rebel territory following Russian bombing.
The civil war in Syria has led to the development of a variety of new weapons.
Kurdish YPG troops in Syria are reported to be using remotely-controlled sniper rifles.
The jihadist group Islamic State has been using remotely-controlled car bombs and small unmanned drones laden with explosives.
It also has a division that works on more ambitious projects, such as the development of heat-seeking missiles to down enemy aircraft.
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