Integrated Visual Augmentation System

As of October 2020, IVAS was on its third iteration. Previous tests used commercial Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets which were not resistant to inclement weather. A ruggedized version of the system was tested in late October 2020 at Fort Pickett by some Marines and members of the 82nd Airborne Division. The test was to get soldier feedback and refine the system for eventual battlefield use.[1]

In December 2020, the United States Congress decided to cut $230 million of the $1.1 billion request for the Army's IVAS goggles. It also wanted the US Army to submit a report detailing the acquisition strategy for the IVAS program by 15 August 2021.[6]

IVAS Capability Set 4 during testing at Ft. Greeley, Alaska.

After nearly 2 years in development, the final IVAS Capability Set 4 system was scheduled to be fielded in 2021. Over 40,000 sets were planned to be issued.[1]

On March 26, 2021, Microsoft was awarded a "fixed price production agreement" by the United States Army to manufacture and supply IVAS headsets.[7] Microsoft would produce headsets for at least 120,000 members of the Army Close Combat Force.[8] The contract was worth up to US$21.88 billion dollars.[9]

Also in March 2021, the U.S. Army announced that IVAS was being tested with mounted soldiers, such as on Bradley Fighting Vehicle and Stryker teams.[10] By June 2021, the US Army announced it was expanding IVAS tests to include aircrews for helicopters and drones.[11] In comparison to the $400,000 purely-slaved and aircraft-dependent F-35 helmet that must be custom-built for each pilot,[12] IVAS attached to any helmet, was estimated to cost $29,205 per unit, and could optionally work independent of the aircraft when the crew dismounts.[13]

In September 2021 an "Adversarial Electronic Warfare and Cybersecurity Test" of IVAS was conducted.[14] In mid-October, the system's "Operational Test and fielding" was moved to 2022. David Patterson, PEO Soldier Director of Public Affairs, said: "The Army intends to continue developing and fielding this revolutionary, first-of-its-kind technology in FY22."[14]

In March 2022, considering the numerous technical issues the program encountered, Congress withheld approximately $400 million in funding for the program until IVAS completed its initial operation testing and the Program Executive Office Soldier briefed the appropriations committees on the program's progress.[15][16] The testing began in May and concluded in late June, although at the time it was believed that the fielding of IVAS in September was unlikely.[17][18]

In September 2022, the US Army began accepting 5000 units of the IVAS and was planning to field them, even though these units were still early versions of the IVAS and would require future software upgrades.[19] However, in November 2022, the US Army announced a "course correction" to the program, due to soldiers reporting physical ailments after using IVAS in the field. [20] The main symptoms were headaches, eye strain, and nausea. A report by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General raised concerns that these problems may lead to soldiers not using the system even if it was issued to them.[21] The US Army and Microsoft decided to renegotiate their contract and redesign the form factor while still planning to field 10,000 initial units.[20]

The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation report published in January criticized the performance of IVAS 1.0 in tests. It stated that most soldiers testing the IVAS headset reported a wide range of physical impairments and numerous technical deficiencies that negatively impacted their performance. It found that soldiers accomplished their missions better with their current equipment than with IVAS. Furthermore, there were no improvements or even declines in the system's reliability over the course of its development.[3]

Version 1.2 with flat display and computer on the rear of the helmet.

In March 2023, following the "course correction" to the program with Microsoft, the US Army exhibited IVAS version 1.2. Although the new variant was still based on the civilian HoloLens headset, there had been some changes from previous versions, such as the separation of the controller from the computer, with the controller now able to be attached to any part of the upper torso and the computer being mounted on the rear of the helmet.[22] The previous helmet-like display was replaced by a flat display with better clarity, better line-of-sight, and also a hinge that allows the display to be flipped up. As a result, the field of view was reduced from 70 degrees to 60 degrees. The thermal camera was also being improved to increase clarity while reducing power consumption.[4]

Testing of IVAS 1.2 began in August, after 20 prototypes were delivered to the US Army.[23] Microsoft was awarded another $95 million for the next stage of the program, which included the delivery of 280 pre-production and "production representative" IVAS 1.2 systems for testing in Fiscal Year 2024, aiming to field an improved version of IVAS in Fiscal Year 2025.[24]

The version also contained an embedded training tool known as the "Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer", a piece of software that could project holographic and mixed-reality imagery via the IVAS headset to help train soldiers in combat.[23] However, the tool had encountered a problem known as "dynamic occlusion limitations", which was the inability of augmented reality devices to simulate how virtual objects were obstructed by real objects. Experts in the field had yet to find a general solution to the issue, although the US Army stated that it would work to fix it.[25]