🥽 Army Takes Second Shot at Mixed-Reality Headsets With Anduril & Rivet Prototypes

📬 In Today’s Defense Brief

🚁 Red 6 Brings Immersive Augmented Reality Training to Apache Helicopters —
Read More

🤖 SAIC and HavocAI Partner to Link Autonomous Fleets to Global Command —
Read More

🏛️ Military’s Acquisition Reform Push Means 85%-Ready Tech ‘Good Enough’ First — Read More

🐺 Ukraine Debuts 3D-Printed ‘Shahed Hunter’ Interceptor With 50% Speed Boost — Read More

🥽 Army Takes Second Shot at Mixed-Reality Headsets With Anduril & Rivet Prototypes — Read More

🎱 Plus 14 other news stories you may like

📰 Full Breakdown

🚁 Red 6 Brings Immersive Augmented Reality Training to Apache Helicopters — Read More

• Red 6 has integrated its Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) into the AH‑64E Apache Crewstation Advanced Technology Testbed from Boeing, marking the first-ever AR flight training system on a rotorcraft platform.

• The system overlays threat-realistic virtual objects into real flight operations or simulated cockpits, enabling pilots to practice complex maneuvers like aerial refueling or contested landings without the full cost or risk of traditional exercises.

• By capturing flight data and enabling objective readiness metrics, Red 6 and Boeing say this capability will help prepare pilots for near-peer threats, integrate uncrewed assets, and extend training scalability across aviation fleets.

🤖 SAIC and HavocAI Partner to Link Autonomous Fleets to Global Command and Control — Read More

• SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) and HavocAI announced a collaboration to integrate SAIC’s Joint Range Extension (JRE) communication/data backbone with HavocAI’s autonomous maritime fleet technology, enabling self-organizing vessels to connect to broader command-and-control networks.

• The integration will enable autonomous maritime systems to feed into the CJADC2 (Combined Joint All Domain Command & Control) framework, permitting large autonomous sensor/actuator fleets to exchange real-time tactical data across air, land, sea, and allied networks.

• The partnership is pitched as key to the Navy’s hybrid fleet vision—bringing together crewed platforms, unmanned assets, and networked sensors—and may accelerate fielding of large-scale autonomous fleets while improving tactical connectivity for U.S. and allied maritime operations.

🏛️ Military’s Acquisition Reform Push Means 85%-Ready Tech ‘Good Enough’ First — Read More

• The Department of Defense (DoD), under Pete Hegseth, is embracing a new procurement mindset: fielding systems that meet roughly 85% of performance requirements now, rather than waiting for perfect 100% solutions years later.

• Experts say this represents a cultural overhaul: requirements processes and acquisition timelines are being rewired to prioritize speed, commercial-first buys, modular architectures, and portfolio management—rather than legacy single-platform, risk-averse programmes.

• The immediate impact should include faster fielding, more competition, and more off-the-shelf tech, but the tougher test lies ahead: Will the system reward risk-taking and tolerate early failures, rather than defaulting back to the status quo?

🐺 Ukraine Debuts 3D-Printed ‘Shahed Hunter’ Interceptor With 50% Speed Boost — Read More

• At Dubai Airshow 2025, Ukrainian firm SkyFall unveiled the P1-Sun, a frontline-shaped, 3D-printed modular interceptor drone designed to counter Russian Geran-2 cruise missiles, low-flying helicopters, and Shahed-class one-way attack drones. The system’s debut underscores how Ukrainian combat experience is directly shaping new air-defense platforms designed to counter swarming and low-cost threats.

• The P1-Sun flies 50 percent faster than its earlier 300 km/h version and can reach 5,000 meters, giving crews more vertical and horizontal room to chase and engage targets. Developed with direct input from Ukrainian troops, the interceptor features a modular airframe and has a stated monthly production capacity of “thousands,” emphasizing high-volume, attritable manufacturing for sustained conflict.

• SkyFall showcased combat footage of P1-Sun intercepting Geran-2 drones and striking Russian vehicles, positioning the system as battle-tested rather than a paper concept. Delegations from the US, key European allies, and Gulf states visited the stand, reflecting growing interest in Ukraine as a supplier of low-cost loitering munitions, FPV drones, and attritable ISR/strike platforms for border defense and critical infrastructure protection.

🥽 Army Takes Second Shot at Mixed-Reality Headsets With Anduril & Rivet Prototypes — Read More

• After soldiers reported headaches and nausea with Microsoft’s original mixed-reality IVAS headset, the Army has launched a second competition under the Soldier Borne Mission Command program, awarding prototype contracts to Anduril Industries and Rivet Industries. The goal is a single platform for fighting, training, and rehearsal that integrates night vision, situational awareness, and digital sensors, while incorporating lessons from Ukraine, Israel, and the Army’s “Transformation in Contact” initiative.

• Anduril’s EagleEye headset leverages Meta’s commercial AR display tech, Oakley and Gentex hardware, and Qualcomm chips, aiming for an integrated helmet solution that optimizes weight distribution and comfort. Built on Anduril’s Lattice software platform, EagleEye is designed with open standards, enabling over-the-air updates, fleet management, and allowing soldiers to task drones and pull live video feeds directly into their heads-up displays.

• Rivet, founded by the former IVAS program director, is pursuing a lighter glasses-form-factor display that avoids locking the Army into a fully vertically integrated system. Partnering with Wilcox Industries for helmet integration, Rivet emphasizes comfort, modularity, and an extensible, high-performance operating system so future apps—whether from industry or soldier “whiz kids”—can plug in as the Army iterates across mission sets and hardware variants.

🌏 Other Important News

✈️ Air

• L3Harris F-16 EW System Cleared for Low-Rate Production — Read More

• Russian Official Claims ‘Huge Demand’ for Su-57 Fighter at Dubai Airshow — Read More

• Helsing, Saab to Deliver New EW Systems for Germany — Read More

• Lockheed & Germany’s Diehl Combine Maritime Air Defense Tech — Read More

• Pentagon Approves Delivery of 60 CH-47F Chinooks for Germany — Read More

• Next-Gen Drones Gain Electromagnetic Eyes — Read More

• US Counter-Drone Tech Shapes NATO’s Next Edge — Read More

• Dual-Payload Upgrade Hits France’s Tethered Drones — Read More

• MBDA’s Planned Emirati Subsidiary Will Focus on Missiles & Loitering Munitions — Read More

🏛️ Industry

• Germany Unveils First Space Security Strategy —
  Read More

• Commercial Innovation vs Gov’t Drone Factories —
  Read More

• Pentagon Taps New 4-Star to Oversee B-21, F-47, ICBMs & Air Force One —
  Read More

• Military Aircraft Crashes Skyrocketed 2020–2024 — Read More

• L3Harris Breaks Ground on Arkansas Advanced Propulsion Facilities — Read More

Thanks for reading today’s Defense Brief. If you found it useful, consider forwarding it to a friend or colleague who'd appreciate staying sharp on defense tech and military news.