Anthony Capaccio
Microsoft Corp. is on track to deliver an improved version of its combat goggles by July 31 for intensive soldier testing that will help the US Army decide whether to deploy the devices by 2025 or cancel the troubled program, according to the service.
After delivery, the first 20 prototype IVAS 1.2 goggles will be assessed by two squads of solders in late August to check for improvements in reliability, low-light performance and how well they fit soldiers without repeats of the nausea and dizziness that halted the deployment of earlier versions. Microsoft said in a statement that the deliveries will be three months ahead of schedule.
“This initial assessment measures system performance to ensure engineering efforts are on schedule and meeting design objectives,” the Army said. A decision to deploy the military version would unlock billions of dollars for procurement that Congress has become unwilling to free up pending improvements to the device, which is based on the company’s HoloLens “mixed reality” goggles.
Over a decade, the Army projects spending as much as $21.9 billion for as many as 121,000 devices, spares and support services if all options are exercised. If the initial assessment is a success, the Army will award a contract between July and September of next year to produce additional devices for a second soldier evaluation.
Success there would be followed by a full-blown combat operational test between April and June 2025, determining whether the goggles would be deployed to combat units within months.
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