Meta and Anduril Collaborate on ‘EagleEye’ Headset to Deliver AI-Powered AR/VR Tech to US Military Forces
Meta has entered into a high-profile partnership with US defence technology firm Anduril to produce advanced augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets intended for use by the American military. This collaboration marks Meta’s first foray into military-grade extended reality (XR) systems, with the initial device in the joint venture set to be named “EagleEye”.
According to Anduril, EagleEye will incorporate the firm’s proprietary artificial intelligence command-and-control system known as Lattice. This AI-powered platform is designed to aggregate and interpret vast volumes of battlefield data, sourced from thousands of inputs, and deliver actionable intelligence to frontline personnel in real time. The system aims to give military operatives superior situational awareness and facilitate more effective command of autonomous systems during active missions.
Anduril has stated that the integration of its Lattice platform with Meta’s XR technology is intended to change how soldiers perceive and interact with battlefield environments. The technology is expected to enhance cognitive capabilities during combat by offering immersive, real-time data visualisation and streamlined control of drones and other autonomous platforms. The headset is being described as a tool to enable intuitive interaction with the battlefield landscape, thus aiding rapid and informed decision-making in high-stakes environments.
This initiative is being financed through private capital, with both companies seeking to adapt consumer-grade XR components for robust military applications. The decision to repurpose commercially-developed hardware is anticipated to reduce development costs and expedite deployment timelines, while still delivering high-performance gear to troops in the field.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has invested heavily in virtual and augmented reality since announcing its pivot to the metaverse in late 2021. Since then, the company has committed over $40 billion to developing XR technologies, a foundation it is now applying to its collaboration with Anduril.
Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril and the original creator of Oculus VR—later acquired by Meta, announced the EagleEye project via social media on 29 May. He noted that the initiative builds on years of shared work and resources, spanning technology developed before, during, and after Meta’s acquisition of Oculus. He also expressed hope that EagleEye would serve as the next generation of Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) equipment for the United States Army.
The SBMC programme previously saw tech giant Microsoft contracted in 2018 to produce AR headsets based on its HoloLens platform. However, Microsoft’s role shifted earlier this year when it was announced that Anduril had taken over development responsibilities. Microsoft, while stepping back from hardware creation, remains involved in the programme as a cloud services provider.
This collaboration is part of a broader trend in which major technology firms have been increasingly engaging with defence-related initiatives. In November last year, Meta updated its acceptable use policies, allowing its large language model, Llama, to be used by the US military and defence contractors. The same month, Anthropic opened access to its Claude 3 and 3.5 AI models for national security use, integrating with Palantir’s secure AI infrastructure. Furthermore, Palantir and Microsoft announced a strategic alliance to offer AI-based analytics and services to the US defence and intelligence community.
By partnering with Anduril, Meta is expanding its footprint beyond consumer applications and entering the defence technology landscape with the intent of equipping soldiers with cutting-edge tools rooted in immersive and intelligent systems. The EagleEye headset represents the convergence of commercial innovation and military-grade performance, aiming to transform how tactical operations are visualised and executed on the modern battlefield.
