Financial Times: 120,000 IVAS Units is Minimum; 21.9 bn total depends on greater number delivered

https://www.ft.com/content/cbfad4be-65f7-4810-b2d3-deadcd3d803a

Under the terms of the contract, Microsoft would provide at least 120,000 headsets to the army’s entire close combat force, a company spokesperson said.

The contract could be worth up to $21.9bn over 10 years, depending on how many devices were eventually delivered, the spokesperson added. The person declined to give a cost per device.

The US army said the contract was for an initial five years with the option to extend for a further five years.

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The goggles help with targeting by wielding augmented reality and machine learning technology to superimpose images over the terrain that soldiers see in front of them — effectively allowing them to see through defensive walls and peer around corners without having to move.

They are also networked together, so commanders back at base can effectively see what soldiers are seeing in real time, and soldiers can receive live footage captured by drones.

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Some soldiers who have used them say they are as intuitive as the iPhone or likened them to following video game instructions.

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Peter Singer, who studies the future of warfare, said the goggles were a “remarkable” development...