In a move to revitalize its Soldier-Borne Mission Command (SBMC) program, formerly known as the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), the US Army has selected an Anduril team and startup firm Rivet to deliver hundreds of mixed-reality, heads-up displays for testing, according to industry and service sources.
Rivet Lands $195 Million Contract for Rapid Prototyping
Rivet CEO David Marra, who previously led the Microsoft team behind the original IVAS contract, confirmed his company has secured a $195 million contract with the Army for an 18-month rapid prototyping phase. „We have an incredibly legitimate solution that exists today, and one that we’ve tested in the field numerous times, including with Army soldiers in operational conditions,” Marra told reporters. „We’ve proven that it is a viable solution that exceeds the Army’s requirements.” Rivet’s design, which closely resembles glasses, aims for comfort during extended missions, ruggedness in austere environments, and enhanced situational awareness. The contract will fund continued engineering and testing, as well as the production of 470 „production representative” devices.
Anduril Confirmed as Second SBMC Partner
While Anduril declined to comment on a signed deal, both an Army official and an industry source confirmed that the company has also been selected for the SBMC program. Anduril, founded by Palmer Luckey, the creator of the Oculus augmented reality headset, has been teasing a new mixed-reality device called Eagle Eye, which a company spokesperson described as an ecosystem of augmented reality devices that would be the centerpiece of their bid.
SBMC Aims to Overcome IVAS Challenges
The selection of Anduril and Rivet follows years of questions about the fate of the IVAS program. Originally, the Army selected Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 for the IVAS program in 2018, awarding the company a 10-year, $22 billion production deal. However, the device was plagued with problems, including soldiers experiencing cybersickness symptoms and software glitches.
After numerous redesigns, the Army decided to recompete the hardware and launched the SBMC competition. In April, Anduril assumed oversight of the original IVAS production deal, focusing on the data architecture. „There’s no new hardware on the existing IVAS contract that Anduril is responsible for delivering, but what we’re going to be delivering is the software functionality on top of those existing headsets,” Anduril’s Senior Vice President of Engineering Tom Keane said at the time. Despite the contract novation, the service continued onward with SBMC, ultimately selecting the two teams. The Army did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the state of the program.
