VR super glasses “Eagleeye” for US soldiers: Meta and Anduril Industries apply according to the 22-billion dollars program

Change of strategy at Meta: Zuckerberg relies on military-VR instead of just social media

The announcement of the partnership between Meta and Anduril Industries in May 2025 marked a significant turning point in the development of military technology and at the same time represents META's first substantial push into the defense sector. This cooperation combines METAS decades-long expertise in virtual and augmented reality technologies with Anduril's specialized defense technology, in innovative XR products for the To develop US military. The cooperation is particularly noteworthy because it brings Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and current CEO of Anduril, back together with his former employer Meta after leaving the company in 2017 due to political disagreements. The joint project aims to offer soldiers with advanced AR/VR systems expanded perception skills and intuitive control options for autonomous platforms on the battlefield.

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Background and origin of the partnership

The foundations for this extraordinary cooperation have already been laid by previous business relationships when Facebook acquired Oculus VR for $ 2 billion in 2014. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, left the company in 2017 after controversy regarding his political support for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. This separation led to the establishment of Anduril Industries, a defense technology startup that specialized in innovative solutions for the US military.

The approach between Meta and Luckey took place in a changed political environment after Trump's return to the White House in November 2024. This political shift meant that leading technology companies, including Meta under Mark Zuckerberg, improved their relationships with Washington. Meta loosened its content moderation rules and actively began to recruit federal authorities for his AI work.

The official announcement of the partnership took place in May 2025 with a joint statement by both companies. Meta-CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized in the explanation: "Meta has spent the past decade to develop AI and the so-called augmented reality. We are proud to work with Anduril to provide these technologies to American soldiers who protect our interests at home and abroad".

The IVAS program and Microsoft's retreat

The integrated visual augmentation system (IVAS) of the US Army represents an ambitious 22-billion dollar program, which was originally led by Microsoft with its Hololens technology. The program aims to equip soldiers with a comprehensive system supported by the body, integrate the advanced augmented reality and virtual reality in order to give warriors perception ability beyond the line of sight and to increase their combat effectiveness, ability to survive against drones and the acceleration of the mission of unmanned systems.

However, Microsoft retired from direct hardware development in February 2025 and transferred responsibility for the IVAS program to Anduril Industries. This decision was followed by the setting of Hololen's 2-production in autumn 2024 and Microsoft's strategic realignment away from AR hardware development. The partnership agreement provides that Anduril takes over the supervision of the production, future development of hardware and software as well as delivery times, while Microsoft continues to provide the cloud infrastructure via Azure.

Anduril rened the project in SBMC (Soldier-Borne Mission Command) and began integrating his own Lattice AI information platform into the first headset prototypes. This restructuring enabled the company to specifically align the project to the developing needs of the army and at the same time scale production and reduce unit costs.

Eagleye technology: extended soldier perception

The heart of the Meta-Anduril cooperation is the Eagleeye system, a revolutionary AR/VR platform that was specially developed for military applications. This technology integrates a variety of sensors to significantly improve the hearing and eyesight of soldiers and at the same time enable the control of AI-controlled weapons systems.

Eagleye technology has extended recognition skills that enable soldiers to identify drones that fly for miles away and record hidden goals. These skills are achieved by integrating METAS AR/VR expertise with Anduril's Lattice platform, a AI-based command and control system that provides combat zone information in real time for decision-making.

Palmer Luckey described the system as the “by far the best AR/VR/MR-Vision-Augmentation system that has ever been built, with regard to the resolution, the field of vision, the graphic reproduction, the quality of the sensors and what you can do with these sensors”. The system enables soldiers to act as a “technomcer” by using intuitive gestures and voice commands to control drones, robots and sensors, supported by artificial intelligence in real time.

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Strategic repositioning of Meta

The partnership with Anduril marks a significant strategic change for META, which was previously mainly focused on consumer technology and social media. This expansion to the defense sector is part of a wider initiative of the company to open up new state sources of income and diversify its position in the technology landscape.

Meta had already laid the foundation stone for this expansion in November 2024 when the company announced that its open source LLAMA language models would be made available for government agencies who “work on defense and national security applications”. This opening signals METAS willingness to provide its AI technologies for military and security-relevant applications.

Cooperation with Anduril also offers META the opportunity to validate and develop its XR technologies in a completely new context. The extreme requirements of military applications can drive innovations that could later incorporate into civilian products. At the same time, Meta positions itself as an important technology partner for the US government in a time of increasing geopolitical tensions.

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Technical specifications and performance

The technical aspects of the Eagleye system represent a significant further development of existing AR/VR technologies for military applications. The system integrates high-resolution displays, extended sensors and AI-based data processing in a portable, combat-compatible format.

The sensor equipment of the Eagleye system includes scanners and microphones, which are specially designed to sharpen the perception of soldiers in loud, low-visibility. These sensors work in connection with Anduril's Lattice platform to collect, process and present real-time information about the combat zone.

A particularly innovative aspect of the system is its ability to integrate various data sources and autonomous systems. Soldiers can interact directly with drones, floor robots and other unmanned systems via the Eagleye interface, whereby the AI-based user interface simplifies complex control tasks.

The system also offers extended night vision skills and danger detection, which can act as an alternative to conventional night vision devices. The glasses can warn of drones outside of their own field of vision and identify other potential threats before they become visible to the human eye.

Financial dimensions and market potential

The financial aspects of the Meta-Anduril partnership illustrate the considerable market potential of military XR technology. The companies have jointly applied for an initial order from the US Army worth $ 100 million, which is positioned as part of the more comprehensive IVAS program with a total volume of $ 22 billion.

It is noteworthy that the Eagleye project is financed with private capital and should be continued regardless of the preservation of the military contract. This financing strategy demonstrates the trust of both companies in the long -term potential of technology and its willingness to invest considerable resources in development.

Meta viewed this investment as a strategic positioning in an expanding market, whereby job advertisements for public policy managers with a focus on national security and foreign policy show that the company is actively looking for the end of the shoulder with Washington. The diversification in the defense sector offers META potential new sources of income that are less dependent on advertising revenue and consumer technology.

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Technological innovation

The development of the Eagleye system represents significant progress in the integration of AR/VR technology, artificial intelligence and military applications. Palmer Luckey's vision of making soldiers “technocratic” who can control complex technological systems with intuitive gestures and voice commands shows the transformative potential of this technology.

The combination of metas advanced XR hardware with Anduril's specialized military software creates unique synergies. METAS decades of experience in the development of consumer-VR products, combined with Anduril's deep understanding of military requirements, enables the development of systems that are both technically mature and surgically relevant.

The integration of the Lattice platform into the Eagleye hardware enables the system to act as a central interface for various military technologies. This convergence of different technologies in a single, user -friendly interface could revolutionize the way in which modern armed forces perform complex operations.

Eagleye system: The future of AR/VR technology for armed forces

The partnership between Meta and Anduril for the development of military VR/AR technology marks a turning point for both companies and as a whole for military technology. This cooperation combines two of the most innovative companies in their respective areas and creates the potential for fundamental changes in the way of how modern armed forces operate.

The Eagleye system represents more than just a technological innovation; It symbolizes the convergence of consumer technology and defense applications in a way that could benefit the two sectors. For META, the partnership offers a possibility of diversification and positioning as a strategic partner of the US government, while Anduril has access to highly developed XR technology and extensive development resources.

The long-term effects of this cooperation could extend far beyond the immediate Eagleye project and set new standards for the integration of AR/VR technology in military applications. With a potential market of $ 22 billion for the IVAS program and the prospect of further expansion to related areas, this partnership is positioned as pioneering for the future of military technology.

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