Anduril shows first images of the AR military helmet "EagleEye"

The armor startup Anduril, founded by Oculus developer Palmer Luckey, has unveiled two prototypes of AR helmets for military use. EagleEye is a modular helmet designed for various configurations and display types. The first images of the system show two prototypes: a helmet with a transparent AR visor and a camouflage helmet that completely covers the face and digitally renders the surroundings via passthrough, similar to the mixed reality headsets Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro. The AR prototype is intended for daytime use, and the MR prototype for nighttime missions.

In mock-up videos on Instagram and X, Anduril shows what the interface could look like in the future: soldiers see a compass, a mini-map, and markers that track friend and foe in real-time within their field of vision. If enemy targets go into cover behind objects and are detected by a reconnaissance drone, EagleEye renders them as wireframe skeletons, giving soldiers a kind of X-ray vision. This is based on Anduril's Lattice system, a networked software platform that integrates various sensor data to create a situational awareness picture of the battlefield. Soldiers maintain an overview of troop movements via a 3D map.

With EagleEye, they can also mark targets, request drone strikes, and switch between different sensor views. An AI assistant supports the soldiers. “The idea of an AI partner embedded directly in one's field of vision has existed for decades. With EagleEye, it becomes a reality for the first time,” says Anduril founder Palmer Luckey on the occasion of the announcement.

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Details about the underlying technology and its performance are still missing. Whether this vision can actually be implemented in the shown form remains to be seen. It is known that Qualcomm and Meta are supplying important technology components, and Oakley is also involved in the development.

The development of EagleEye is part of the US military program “Soldier Borne Mission Command” (SBMC) and aims to create a practical AR system for US soldiers that enables digital mission command. SBMC is the successor project to Microsoft's IVAS system (“Integrated Visual Augmentation System”), which was operated using HoloLens technology. Microsoft handed over the development in the spring and transferred the contract to Anduril Industries.

In September, the US military awarded contracts in the triple-digit millions to Anduril and its competitor Rivet to develop SBMC prototypes for field testing. According to Palmer Luckey, the first major delivery is scheduled for 2027. By then, at the latest, it will become clear whether EagleEye performs better than Microsoft's IVAS helmet, which failed in practical tests.

(vbr)