Microsoft said to deliver improved combat goggles by end of month
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More than two years after a deal was first signed, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is slated to deliver improved combat goggles using its Hololens technology to the U.S. Army by the end of the month.
The new googles will allow the Army to decide whether they should be deployed by 2025 or ultimately cancel the project, Bloomberg reported, citing comments from the U.S. Army.
Upon delivery, the Army will test a group of 20 IVAS 1.2 goggles with two squads next month. The squads will look for improvements in reliability, low-light performance and fit.
It was reported in April that an improved version of the goggles would not be given to troops for at least two years because the Army had to test the improved IVAS, or Integrated Visual Augmentation System goggles.
The IVAS system is a customized version of Microsoft's (MSFT) HoloLens augmented reality headset.
In June 2021, Microsoft (MSFT) signed a deal with the Army, which at the time was said to be worth $21.88B, to provide HoloLens technology for 120,000 headsets. A few months later, the Army delayed testing of the IVAS system until fiscal 2022.
In April 2022, it was reported the contract could be worth just half of that, as a report produced by the Pentagon's inspector general said the $21.88B cost was a worst-case scenario.
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