Pentagon budget 2022: US Army plans to spend USD29,205 per IVAS unit

The US Army has disclosed that it plans to spend USD29,205 on each Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) heads-up display it will purchase next year.

The White House delivered its fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022) budget request to Congress on 28 May and included a USD854 million ask for army IVAS procurement. From that amount the service wants to purchase 29,237 systems for USD29,205 each: an increase over the FY 2021 per unit cost of USD25,490. The service does not detail why each IVAS will be more expensive next year but does note that the price increase comes despite plans to buy more systems.

This per unit cost disclosure follows the decision by lawmakers to slice USD235 million from the technology's FY 2021 procurement budget and call for more programme oversight, including a break down of how much each system will costs taxpayers.

“The IVAS programme is pursuing an aggressive fielding schedule to a large population of close-combat forces, resulting in a significant low-rate initial production procurement for an end item that has not been operationally tested using production representative units, or its militarised form factor, as is planned for soldier touchpoint 4,” appropriators wrote last year.

“While the technology represents a potential leap ahead in capability, it is essential that an appropriate amount of operational testing, including use by soldiers in realistic combat conditions with production representative units, inform the army's decision to move to large-scale procurement,” they added.