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AUSA 2025: Wilcox Debuts FUSION CLAW to Streamline AI-Driven Soldier Helmet Systems.
Wilcox introduced the FUSION CLAW, an AI-informed headborne platform that consolidates power, data and display on the helmet, shown with Rivet’s glasses-based HUD at AUSA 2025 in Washington, D.C. The modular, open-architecture approach lines up with the Army’s Soldier Borne Mission Command push, promising less cable clutter and faster decisions at the edge.
During AUSA 2025 in Washington D.C., Wilcox introduced the FUSION CLAW, an AI-enabled headborne platform designed to unify power, data and compute on the soldier’s helmet. Showcased amid the U.S. Army’s drive toward soldier-as-a-system integration, the reveal highlights a shift from accessory-centric kits to coherent, networked architectures. The system’s modular design and open interfaces seek to cut weight, wiring and decision friction at the tactical edge. This matters now because units are fielding more sensors and radios than ever while fighting in electronically dense, 24/7 environments where cognitive load is often the first limiter.
FUSION CLAW shifts the helmet from a passive mount to an intelligent edge node. By federating sensors, power and compute at the head, the system enables persistent AR overlays, faster target/user identification, and assured voice/data exchange aligned to MOSA standards, key for coalition interoperability and rapid tech refresh (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)
Developed out of Wilcox’s decades of work on helmet mounts and power/data management, FUSION CLAW is the latest node in the broader FUSION DELTA ecosystem. The program couples the UHMA-R and G24-Xe heritage mounts with a smart battery backbone and a Visual Augmentation Pack that adds on-helmet compute. Over the past cycles, Wilcox and a partner consortium refined the architecture through a Modular Open Systems Approach, iterating on rail geometry, center-of-gravity, and cable discipline to reduce snag points while preserving compatibility with current NVGs, HUDs and communications. The result presented at AUSA is a consolidated platform intended to transition units from piecemeal upgrades to an evolvable baseline that can absorb new optics, radios and software without full rebuilds.
The immediate advantage for soldiers is integration without overload. Plug-in modules support HUD overlays, night vision, communications, IFF, directional laser cueing, illumination, mission recording and power management from a single controller, minimizing separate batteries and controllers. The smart battery pack accepts EXO Charge STUB, AA, CR123a and CWB sources and is designed to accept future chemistries, while its modular electronics bay hosts the Visual Augmentation Pack co-developed with ARA. KOPIN’s DayVAS enables full-color, daylight-readable AR for daytime operations, complemented by DarkWAVE, a night-optimized clip-in for standard NVGs. Multi-spectral laser detection developed with Attollo provides IFF alerting when an operator is lased, and advanced, power/data-enabled side rails co-engineered with AVON Protection feed peripherals like MOHOC recording and SureFire multi-spectral illumination. INVISIO contributes protected hearing, active noise reduction and integrated comms. Together, these elements consolidate the kit, improve balance, and trim cable runs, lowering neck strain and the micro-delays that accumulate into missed cues.
Strategically, FUSION CLAW shifts the helmet from a passive mount to an intelligent edge node. By federating sensors, power and compute at the head, the system enables persistent AR overlays, faster target/user identification, and assured voice/data exchange aligned to MOSA standards, key for coalition interoperability and rapid tech refresh. As a component of FUSION DELTA’s secure network, the platform supports continuous, autonomous monitoring and contributes data for predictive maintenance and force readiness analytics, while features like autonomous replenishment cues and overwatch integration tighten the loop between squad actions and higher-echelon awareness. In practice, that translates into more consistent tactical awareness with fewer manual steps, making small teams more synchronized without adding training burden.
Presented at AUSA 2025, FUSION CLAW positions Wilcox and its partners as system integrators at the soldier’s most critical interface: the head. By unifying augmentation, power and communications in a lightweight, snag-free architecture that is scalable and upgradeable, the platform offers units a practical path to modernize quickly, stay compatible with existing gear, and adopt new capabilities as they emerge, turning the helmet into a stable, future-ready foundation for the next wave of battlefield sensing and decision support.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.