28/09/2026
RANT: The era of touchscreens and their pitfalls.
This is the cockpit of the new military Defender Series 2 Wolf and right in the middle is something that doesn’t belong in a frontline military vehicle: a large touchscreen.
Touchscreens are fantastic for navigation, mapping, cameras and displaying information. But using them to replace frequently used physical controls is another matter entirely.
A proper switch or rotary k**b gives you tactile feedback. After enough time in a vehicle, your hand knows where it is. You can reach down, feel the control and operate it without taking your eyes off the road or whatever else is happening outside.
A touchscreen demands something different.
Gloves? Doesn’t work unless your gloves are compatible
Wet fingers? Less reliable.
Mud, dust or grime across the screen? Now you’ve got another problem.
Vehicle bouncing violently across rough terrain? Try hitting a small icon accurately.
Driving at night? The screen is another source of light.
Under stress? You’re now looking down to confirm that the command actually registered.
And that’s before considering cracked screens, electronic failures or simply trying to operate one while the vehicle is being thrown around cross-country.
None of this means screens have no place in a modern military vehicle. They absolutely do. Mission systems, maps, situational awareness, diagnostics and cameras all benefit enormously from digital displays.
But there should be a distinction between information that belongs on a screen and functions a driver needs to operate instinctively.
I do see the steering wheel controls and indicator stalk, but Military vehicles are probably one of the strongest arguments for keeping physical switches for critical and frequently used controls.
Sometimes the old solution wasn’t old-fashioned.
It was good human-factors engineering.
Buttons aren’t nostalgia.
They’re muscle memory.
Bring back physical buttons. For all trucks, including electric ⚡️ ones.
