Mary-Louise Hoffman
The U.S. Army has received 20 pieces of Microsoft‘s redesigned Integrated Visual Augmentation System and plans to test the prototype headsets next month, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.
Doug Bush, acquisition chief at the Army and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, told reporters Wednesday he expects the test to help the service branch determine whether the IVAS program “is headed in the right direction.”
Microsoft entered the production phase in 2021 under a potential $21.9 billion award and received a task order earlier this year to develop version 1.2 of the system. IVAS is based on the company’s HoloLens mixed-reality technology and is supported by its Azure cloud service.
Soldiers used the earlier IVAS 1.0 iteration last year during their operational test where the Army identified reliability, sensor performance and form factor of the device as key areas of improvement.
According to the Breaking Defense report, concerns raised during the testing phase led the branch to renegotiate its production deal to include 1.1 and 1.2 versions.
Bush noted the test in August will serve as a key “data point” for the program and the service will likely conduct “a new competition” if the delivered 1.2 prototype does not meet its readiness expectations.
Bush will headline the Potomac Officers Club’s 8th Annual Army Summit on Aug. 1 at the Hilton-McLean in Virginia. Click here to register for this important event and to see all the confirmed government and GovCon industry speakers.
