First off, Galvion caught us up on their new Caiman UL (Ultra-Light). Available in five sizes, it incorporates the latest version of their APEX liner system.
It incorporates their new proprietary low-profile 3-hole shroud which signals a move away from the Wilcox shroud they’ve been using. It incorporates ballistic mounting hardware and uses rubber bumpers for rattle prevention and a more stable platform for NVGs. You’ll notice a slight color difference in the center portion of the shroud pictured above. That is an interchangeable metal plate to accommodate a variety of NVG and future headborne accessories. The new Galvion shroud is also featured on their SAR helmet.
They also gave us a peek at what the future holds in store for their Cortex ecosystem which integrates headborne technologies from disparate manufacturers into a usable system with Tactical Awareness Kit interface to get your head in the fight and out of ATAK. Data collected by various headborne sensors and indicated on the ATAK screen is routed as Augmented Reality date on an eyepiece or full heads up display visor which is not fed data via the Cortex system but also power, just like everything else mounted to the head, including lights and strobes. Cortex remains a plug and play system, integrating new peripherals as they are added to the ecosystem by the user.
The current state of the system is seen above while below we get a glimpse of what we alluded to when we wrote about the system during our SOF Week coverage.
While the helmet seen remains a concept prototype it gives us an idea of how all of the cabling and connections will become streamlined in future iterations of the technology.
We’ll continue to update you on new systems as Galvion rolls them out. In particular, we’ll be telling you about a new charging system they’ve developed with an industry partner to wirelessly charge drones once they’ve landed.
