US Army picks Anduril–Meta and Rivet for new combat goggle prototypes

The US Army has awarded contracts to two competing industry teams — one led by Anduril Industries Inc. in partnership with Meta Platforms Inc., and another led by Rivet Industries Inc. — to develop prototypes for a next-generation combat goggle system.

While the Army did not disclose the total program value or how many devices may ultimately be purchased, Rivet confirmed its contract is worth $195 million.

Building on Microsoft’s IVAS

The new initiative builds on technology from the earlier Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program, originally spearheaded by Microsoft. That program, once projected to cost the Army more than $20 billion over a decade, aimed to provide mixed-reality headsets to improve soldier navigation and situational awareness.

After years of costly development — including $1.36 billion spent and 500 prototypes produced — the Army handed program management to Anduril earlier this year. The effort has now been rebranded as “Soldier Borne Mission Command” (SBMC), with an emphasis on modular design, open architecture, and improved software.

“Lessons learned during IVAS development, as well as observations on the changing nature of current conflicts, have formed the foundation of SBMC,” the Army said, noting the new system will be more upgradeable and adaptable to evolving battlefield requirements.

Meta joins the defense sector shift

The involvement of Meta — best known for its consumer-facing virtual reality and AI technologies — signals a broader shift in Silicon Valley. Major tech companies that once avoided military work are increasingly participating in defense programs.

Meta’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth acknowledged this shift in June, saying the “tides have turned” in Silicon Valley toward greater cooperation with the Pentagon.

Late last year, Meta also revised its acceptable use policy to allow its AI models to be used in defense applications. The change opened the door for collaboration with US government agencies and defense contractors, a stark departure from its prior ban on military-related projects.

An open, modular system

According to Anduril, the SBMC system “leverages over 260,000 hours of soldier feedback from the IVAS program” and integrates the company’s Lattice software. The headset will be developed with support from partners including Meta, Oakley Standard Issue, Qualcomm, Gentex Corporation, and others.

The contracts were awarded under the Pentagon’s Other Transaction Authority mechanism, designed to speed prototype development and bypass some of the bureaucracy that critics say slows down defense acquisitions.

Anduril described its goal as building “a new helmet-mounted mixed reality system for soldier-borne hardware” that provides improved navigation, communication, and mission command capabilities on the battlefield.

Political and strategic backdrop

The program also reflects a broader push under President Donald Trump’s administration to increase private-sector involvement in weapons development, breaking the dominance of traditional defense contractors.

With rivals like China investing heavily in military AI and next-generation systems, the Army’s bet on modular, software-driven combat gear reflects both lessons learned from past missteps and the urgency of staying ahead in the technology race.

If successful, the SBMC could eventually replace or supplement traditional battlefield equipment, putting augmented reality and AI-driven situational awareness directly into soldiers’ helmets.