Microsoft Has $1.3 Billion at Stake for Combat Goggles

  • Wearable display to be judged before initial Army deployment
  • Army scoffs at talk of a $21.9 billion program over a decade
Soldiers don the Integrated Visual Augmentation System Capability Set 3 hardware while mounted in a Stryker in Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington.Photographer: Courtney Bacon/U.S. Army
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Microsoft Corp. has an initial $1.3 billion at stake in a test beginning later this month on whether its HoloLens augmented-reality goggles can be turned into an effective combat system for the U.S. Army.

The monthlong test from May 23 to June 17 will be evaluated by the Pentagon’s testing office to determine whether the headset is ready for full production and initial deployment.