Microsoft Bags $22B US Army HoloLens Deal
April 1, 2021
T
he United States Army awarded Microsoft Corporation a fixed price production agreement to manufacture the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS).
The contract is worth up to $21.88 billion over 10 years.
This award transitions IVAS to
production and rapid fielding to
deliver next-generation night vision
and situational awareness
capabilities to the Close Combat
Force (CCF) at the speed of
relevance. The unique and innovative
partnership between the Army and
Microsoft accelerated prototype
system development through the
Soldier Centered Design approach to
deliver an unprecedented system to
our CCF.
The
IVAS aggregates multiple
technologies into an architecture
that allows the Soldier to Fight,
Rehearse, and Train using a single
platform. The suite of capabilities
leverages existing high-resolution
night, thermal, and Soldier-borne
sensors integrated into a unified
Heads Up Display to provide the
improved situational awareness,
target engagement, and informed
decision-making necessary to achieve
overmatch against current and future
adversaries. The system also
leverages augmented reality and
machine learning to enable a
life-like mixed reality training
environment so the CCF can rehearse
before engaging any adversaries.
The Army’s partnership with
Microsoft redefined the timeline for
rapid development and production of
a major defense program by taking
advantage of the Middle Tier of
Acquisition and Other Transaction
authorities, and partnering with a
non-traditional defense contractor
that is an industry leader in
developing innovative technology.
The partnership between the Army and
Microsoft illustrates areas that the
Department of Defense and industry
can work together towards achieving
modernization priorities in the
interest of national security.
