Anduril Awarded $159 Million to Build a Mixed Reality System
Anduril Industries has secured a $159 million contract from the United States Army to begin prototyping a new Soldier Borne Mission Command system. The initiative, previously known as IVAS Next, is designed to combine night vision, mixed reality, and artificial intelligence into one integrated platform, marking the most significant effort of its kind to date. The programme aims to equip every soldier with improved perception and faster decision-making capabilities in the field.
Traditional night vision technology has long been regarded as limited, offering visibility but not full situational awareness. Anduril’s proposed solution aims to overcome this by merging multiple spectral bands with live battlefield intelligence, enabling soldiers to not only see but also interpret their environment in real-time. In addition to enhanced imaging, the system would allow direct control of robotic support units through a single display, further streamlining battlefield operations.
Current military command systems are structured mainly around fixed command posts. They are not fully adapted to dynamic combat environments where communication is often disrupted. Field leaders are still reliant on maps, radios, and fragmented software tools to build a common operational picture, which can result in delays in decision-making. The new system aims to replace these outdated methods with a unified interface tailored for mobile and contested conditions.
The helmet-mounted mixed reality device being developed by Anduril is set to integrate advanced night vision with augmented reality overlays. This perceptual layer will blend daytime, night-time, and thermal imagery with live battlefield intelligence. The company is working with technology partners, including Meta,Qualcomm Technologies, OSI, and Gentex Corporation, to realise this vision.
At the heart of the programme is the Soldier Borne Mission Command-Architecture, which will provide the software backbone for the system. It is being developed on Anduril’s Lattice platform. It involves collaborations with L3Harris Technologies, Palantir Technologies, Persistent Systems, Maxar Intelligence, Sierra Nevada Company, Kägwerks and DTC. Together, these partners are advancing integrated capabilities to support the broader SBMC ecosystem.
Anduril has already benefited from extensive feedback from soldiers, with over 260,000 hours of input gathered from the earlier IVAS programme. Its IVAS 1.2 headsets have been connected with the Lattice platform and tested in multiple field exercises, including combat training scenarios. These demonstrations showcased capabilities such as drone command and control directly through the headset, eliminating the need for a separate pilot.
The development of the SBMC-A has also introduced significant improvements in software delivery. With 14 industry partners already engaged and third-party developers onboarded through the Lattice Software Development Kit, the system has drastically reduced update times. Tasks that previously required two days can now be completed in 15 minutes, allowing new features to be deployed daily in field conditions.
The combined SBMC and SBMC-A systems are centred on advancing human perceptual augmentation. Their primary objective is to enable soldiers to operate beyond the natural limits of human senses, absorb information more rapidly, and act with greater confidence across multiple domains of combat. By fusing hardware, software, and artificial intelligence, the programme represents a significant shift in how soldiers may interact with their environment, process intelligence, and execute missions in the future.
