Meta and Anduril Develop VR Headsets for the US Military

Meta and Anduril Industries have announced a partnership to develop VR and AR helmets, glasses, and other wearables for the US military, described as 'integrated XR products' that will give soldiers enhanced perception and intuitive control of autonomous platforms on the battlefield. The two companies have jointly bid on a $100 million US military contract, according to the Wall Street Journal. Anduril stated that the project will be funded with private capital and will continue independent of the military contract's outcome. This contract is part of the $22 billion IVAS program, which Anduril took over from Microsoft in February, renaming it SBMC (Soldier-Borne Mission Command). Anduril says prototype headsets are already being tested and are equipped with its AI information platform Lattice. The first joint product, named EagleEye, will include sensors to improve soldiers' hearing and vision, enabling them to detect drones miles away or hidden targets, and to interact with AI-controlled weapon systems. Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus and Anduril, said in February that the system will be the best AR/VR/MR vision augmentation system ever built in terms of resolution, field of view, graphical fidelity, and sensor quality. Luckey, who was ousted from Facebook in 2017, reconciled with Meta in October 2024, and this collaboration marks a return to XR hardware development.